The Doom Patrol
by GarLogan676
Summary: With the Titans getting older, what will Beastboy do when something happens that he would never expect?
1. Chapter 1

The Doom Patrol

As the sizzle and pop of frying tofu bacon filled his ears, Garfield Logan was more worried about filling his stomach than anything else. _You know what they say,_ _most important meal of the day and all that,_ he mused as his breakfast was being cooked. While his teammates assumed that he slept well into the afternoon, he, in fact, was up at the crack of dawn most days. He hit the training room, usually for about a half hour or so, to work on conditioning, both in human form and in a few animal forms each day. After the fitness sessions, he would shower, and then come back up to the kitchen, and make himself a breakfast that was usually comprised of tofu eggs and bacon, along with some sliced fruit.

As he took the bacon out of the pan, and placed it onto his now completed plate, he realized that today's workout hadn't really took it out of him. The last few hadn't, and he should make them a little more intense, he decided. He dug in heartily, and, as soon as he finished, placed the dirty dish- and cookware into the sink, rinsed them off, and put them back in their places. He made sure the kitchen was, at the very least, in no worse condition than when he had arrived, and went back to his room.

He opened his door, and went to his desk. As he turned, he caught himself in the mirror. _Maybe I should update the look, not sure this one is working. _He had kept the same black and purple jumpsuits he had worn since he was a child. _I'm almost twenty, for God's sake, I don't want to look like a child, especially when these jumpsuits don't rightly fit me anymore. _While his teammates gave him grief for being the slimmest of them, Gar had definitely grown, in height and muscle mass. While no-one would mistake him for Superman, green skin aside, he had gained a layer of muscle that, while not as impressive as Dick or Victor's, was definitely a marked improvement from his younger days. His sleeves, which once went to his wrists, now stopped right around the elbow, and his newly gained height caused the legs of the jumpsuit to look like Capri pants. Hardly an intimidating costume, something he wanted to change. _Maybe later, when I "wake up" I can talk to Dick about using a little of the Titans funds to design a new suit, or, at the very least, tailor these ones. I look like I'm wearing a little kid's clothes!_

After checking himself out for a bit longer, he sat down at his desk, and started to do some schoolwork. Hardly what he wanted to do, especially on such a nice day, but, Mento couldn't let his son, the heir to Dayton Industries, assume ownership without knowing how to count his own money. Since superhero work wasn't exactly conducive to a regular student's schedule, he was forced to go to school online. He had already gotten the equivalent of a high school diploma, and was working on his bachelors. Luckily for him, UC-Jump City offered a fully online Bachelors of Science in Zoology degree. Well, they offered it to him, at least. One of the perks of being a Titan was that, something small like letting him attend school, on his terms, was something that was more than happily obliged. He continued to go through the lesson he had opened: snakes. Even though he already knew plenty about them, he skimmed through the lesson for some of the technical terms to remember.

He thought it rather ironic that he, who would have the highest level of education, was often considered the space cadet of the team. Sure, he wasn't always serious and scheming, like Dick or with a book stuck to his nose, like Raven, but he was hardly the idiot that she referred to him as. He had been doing well in the program, on pace to graduate by the new year. _Would I get my diploma online too?_ _Maybe the graduation ceremony would be with SuperVid. Who knows?_ As long as he was getting the work done, who cared? He would have a degree, and be a hero. All was right with the world.

Once he finished the work that he had determined to finish today, he checked his ChatMan account. Since it was linked to his private email, rather than his public one, there weren't mounds and mounds of messages and chat requests from his fans. He glanced through his contacts: nothing from anyone from Titans East, Jericho had sent him something about some goats he saw, Kid Flash had sent him a meme about cheetahs, nothing too out of the ordinary. As he went to close the window, however, he noticed something. A new message, and it looked like a group chat between the four titans he lived with. Strange, why wasn't he in it? He opened it. He saw Nightwing say something about new young heroes, needing a place to go, and the tower needing some fresh blood. Starfire had said that a new friend would be "glorious", and that she approved wholeheartedly. Cyborg said that, while there were new heroes out there, there were plenty of opportunities for them elsewhere. Raven pointed out that change wasn't always a good thing. Nightwing responded that there would be a meeting in a few minutes.

Gar got up, left his room, and went out to the common room, saying, "Couldn't wait for me, huh?", startling three of his four teammates. Cyborg and Starfire turned and jumped. Nightwing, who was deep in speech, hadn't noticed him come in, looked dismayed. Only Raven, whose back was turned to him, didn't react. "What's the deal, guys?" Garfield demanded.

Starfire immediately responded, "Oh, friend, I am most confused, why would you be at this meeting? It is about*"

"Don't tell him, Kori, it's better we discuss it without him." Nightwing interrupted.

"Yeah, nothing personal B, but this conversation isn't for your ears just yet." Cyborg added.

"What do you want me to do then?" Beast Boy responded.

"Oh, I don't know, go read a book, train, do anything but be here." Raven responded tartly.

"Uh, okay. See you later, dudes!" Beastboy replied. _Harsh_, _she didn't have to be so mean. I mean, I know I'm not her favorite, but jeez._ He skulked up to the roof. _Since I've had my fill of training and reading today, I think I'm gonna go on a flight. _He got a running start, then, as he jumped off the edge of the roof, quickly transforming into a pelican and being on his merry way.

**Meanwhile…**

Nightwing looks out the window, and sees a green bird fly off into the distance. "Alright, he's gone. So, let's talk about this, as adults." He looks around, "Anyone have anything to say?"

"Yeah man. I don't get why Garr can't be here for this. He's just as much a part of the team as we are. He lives here too." Victor immediately replied.

"As much as Garfield might annoy me, he does have every right to be here. I'm not sure just how well he would be able to handle the news, but, he has a right to know." Raved stated with a little guilt, which she assumed her friends didn't catch.

"I know, he's our teammate. I know how hard it would be to break it to him. I had to break it to all of you. It's not easy to deal with having to leave here. I've been here for so long. Believe me, I know the feeling. It hasn't been easier for me either. I'm not sure how to break it to him. I mean, Kori and I were thinking about going to Bludhaven or New York, and you guys have invites to the Justice League. What does he have? I'm not sure if him and Mento are still on good terms, to where he could go back to the Doom Patrol. Either way, Batman and Superman want us out of here, so that these Young Justice kids can come in. I would tell him heh can stay, but, I'm not sure he would want to, or that they would want him here." Dick felt terrible. He really did wish things could work out for Gar. He knew that Gar had a lot of abandonment issues, and that saying _Hey, sorry to drop this on you, but we're all scattering and leaving you behind_ would just pile onto them. He knew that going back after you leave was hard. That's why he had such a hard time going back to Bruce. Sure, things were good now, but that was after years of awkward calls and visits, as well as the conflict over just how much autonomy he really had. He really didn't want Gar to go through all that at this point.

"Boyfriend Richard, why don't we bring friend Garfield with us? He could certainly aid us in the crime fighting. It would also be nice to have another friend with us when we journey to the Bludhaven." Starfire asked.

"Kori, I don't want to just lump Gar in with us. We've all decided what to do, he has every right to too." Dick replied.

"Then why don't you tell him, so he can make arrangements for himself? At this point, I'm about to call the Martian Manhunter or Batman myself, and ask them if Gar can come with me." Raven tersely replied.

"Ooh, Raven, didn't know you liked the little green bean like that!" Cyborg bellowed.

Raven's face couldn't have been redder, as she replied, "No! That's not it! You just shouldn't hamstring him like that. If you want him to make a choice, give him time and options." How did Cyborg know? She thought she hid her affections for the green Titan very well. She had figured that none of her friends had noticed.

"Anyway," Cyborg replied, "Beast Boy's flying in now, so, when should we break it to him?"

"Later, Vic. I need to make a few phone calls, see what's out there for him. Don't anybody tell him." Dick stated. "Titans, you're free to go."

**In the Air**

_That was relaxing. I made it up the coast a little farther than I expected, but, that was fun. I need to go out and fly more often. _Garfield landed in his room, thankful he left the window open. His computer was still on, and his communicator was blinking. He checked the communicator; it was Herald, what could he want?

'Gar,

Hope everything's going well. Heard about your loss, you have mine and Karen's condolences. If you need anything, give me a buzz.

-Mal'

_What's he talking about? What loss? This is weird. _He sat down at his desk, ChatMan still open. There was one message, marked urgent, from his mother, Rita.

_'Garfield,_

_ I'm sorry I couldn't get a hold of you with better news, however, you need to know. When we were on our most recent mission, in the Balkans, the Doom Patrol fell into a trap. The Brain had us all captured, and Steve, my wonderful, amazing, Steve, broke us free. In the escape, however, he…he… he died, Garfield. We managed to make it back to Midway, but, we lost him. Please come home, Garfield. I need my son, especially with my husband gone. Remember that I, we, love you._

- _Rita'_

"Gah! No-No-No-No-No!" Garfield, one used to his loved ones leaving, was definitely in pain. He just wanted it all to go away, for everything to be better. Sure, he didn't always get along with Steve, but, he was practically a father to him. Steve took him in, adopted him, made him into a superhero. He shuddered to think just how different things would have been had he never met Steve and Rita. He needed to be with them. He quickly jotted down a note and left it on his desk, and headed right back out the window, back to Rita and Midway City.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey dudes! I totally forgot to put one of these on here last chapter! How's it going? Hopefully you liked this last chapter, and really dig the new one. It's gonna feel a little more rushed, but, I had a lot I wanted to pack into it, in order to move forward. Anyway, here comes Chapter 2!**

"Garfield! Open the door!" Raven called as she knocked on his door. She had expected the shapeshifter to keep his distance after the meeting, after she had been so cold to him. She didn't want to be so cold and abusive to him, but she didn't know how to express what she felt. She knew that she definitely had feelings for the shapeshifter, however, she wasn't sure if A) she could express those feelings without destroying half of Jump City, or B) Beast Boy would requite her feelings. So, she kept pushing him away, trying to cover up her feelings, trying to keep everything the same as it was. Whether or not he was interested in her romantically, he was the closest to her, and she was close to him as well. "This is pointless." The door was suddenly covered in ebony energy, and promptly split open. _No sign of him, but, nothing seems out of the ordinary. It's still a mess, his ChatMan still open, wait, what's that?_ Raven walked closer to Gar's desk, only to find it how it had been left, with their group message open, a message from someone named "Rita". _Wait, 'Rita'? Isn't that Elastigirl? What would Gar's mom have sent him? _She read that note first. _Oh God. That's where he went. It's not because he's mad at us, it's because his father died. Oh, Azar. _It was then that she saw the other note.

'Titans,

It hurts me to do this, but, I have to leave one family for another. Mento died, and Elastigirl needs me.

Beast Boy'

"Dick, Victor, Kori! Get in here!" _He's gone. BB's gone. We have to find him. _

"What's going on, Rae?" Victor was the first to arrive. Raven didn't say anything, simply pointing to the computer screen, and handing him the note. "Wow. He needs us. Do you know where he is?"

"Not a clue. I would imagine on his way to Midway City though."

"What's going on, guys? What've you got, Raven?" Dick entered the room, alongside Kori.

"Yes, friends, have you located friend Garfield?" Kori questioned, quite worriedly.

"Take a look, Dick." Victor responded, allowing his boss to read the note and the message.

"Raven, call him now. He needs us, this can't be easy for him." Dick quietly spoke.

Raven took out her communicator, and found Garfield. She pressed onto the image of his face, and waited as it patched through.

"Hey, Rae. Found the note?" Garfield answered on the fourth ring.

"You bet I did. Where are you? I'm coming right now." Raven responded, voice hoarse with worry.

"I just stopped in Denver, I'm staying here for the night."

"I'm coming. Guys," Raven turned from the communicator, "I'm going to Garfield, head over to Midway. We'll meet you there." Upon finishing the statement, before Dick, Gar, or Victor could respond, she slid into a black hole in the floor, reappearing next to Gar, arms open wide, heart aching. "Come here." Gar, seeing Raven, walked over to her, and wept into her shoulder. They remained there for hours, Gar sobbing, and Raven stroking his hair, offering him what comfort she could. Eventually, Garfield looked up, into Raven's eyes, which were also glistening with tears.

"Let's get some sleep, Rae. We're still about halfway to Midway." He finally spoke, voice cracking.

"I can bring us there right now. Would you like that?" She replied, wishing she could make this all go away. He nodded. They were lowered into a dark ring, and popped out in Doom Patrol HQ. Rita ran to Garfield.

"My son! I love you so much, don't ever leave me, and come here!" Rita cried out as she grabbed Gar. They grabbed each other tight, and wept openly.

"Might be best to leave them alone for a bit. They need a little space. C'mere kid, you can come and talk with Cliff and me." Negative Man piped in, surprising Raven slightly. Agreeing with his logic, she followed him down the hall, into what looked like a lounge area. They walked over to Robotman, who was sitting on a couch, trying to find something to watch on TV.

"Volleyball, News, The Real World, Fashion Police, no, no, no, and no. What the hell is this? World Of Fungus? How is that even a thing? Where is the market for this? Oh, hey kid. Larry, I see you've brought the dame. I'm guessing the prodigal son is with Rita?" Cliff said without turning.

"How did he—" Raven began.

"Biosensors. Also, you were pretty loud when you came in. I don't have ears, but, jeez. Like listening to a jackhammer on a chalkboard." Cliff answered without hesitation. Still facing the television, he patted the other two spaces on the couch. "Come here, let's talk. I don't bite."

"It would be the best time to talk about this. Although it feels out of place. This stuff was always Mento's job. Never been a fan of all the diplomatic junk. Rather just tell it how it is, you know? Anyway, you should know, don't expect the kid to go back to Jump City anytime soon." Negative Man began, speaking quickly.

"What do you mean?" Raven replied, confused. _Gar can't leave, not now. What will I do? What will Cy do? Who'll make those corny jokes? Or the surprisingly edible tofu-dogs? He can't leave now, I won't let him!_

"Kid, his father figure just died. He's not gonna be alright for a while, you know? Plus, she's the only one who could get Rita out of her funk. Who knows how long it'll take before she'll be alright. They need each other, and Rita's not going anywhere. I have the feeling he'll be here for a few months, at least." Larry replied, a little more calmly. "This isn't one of those things that you just get over in a day, all willy nilly. He might need some time here. Plus, a little birdie told me you guys were gonna go your separate ways soon anyway."

_How did he know that?_

"To answer your question, and several others: A) the Bat-boy kind of asked us that, if it were to happen soon, if we were to have a spot open, which, for the kid? Always; B) it's not my call if you or anyone else can join up, and it's a little too soon to add some fresh blood; C) it's as plain as the day is long that you wanted to ask me those, your face said it all." Robotman offered. "Again, robot. Visual scanners and stuff."

"Oh. So, what do I do then?" raven asked, clearly dismayed.

"Well, I think we're going to take a little time out from travelling the world, and focus on Midway. Stay home you know? As for you, I don't know, go out for the Justice League? Find a city and go solo for a while? I heard Seattle's open, now that Green Arrow went back to Starling." Negative man replied. "Also, I think we're going to have a team meeting, and see where we want to be, how we're gonna get there, stuff like that. Since you're here, you might as well attend. An extra two cents can't hurt."

"Alright, I can manage that. When would that be?"

Negative Man's communicator and Robotman's eyes beeped and glowed red. "Apparently, right now."

**A/N: Oh, snap! Let's see how things turn out there! Also, the rest of the titans arrive next chapter! Tune in next time for The Doom Patrol! Also, please review, I'd really like a little input on where I could be better in writing this, or what you really like. No pressure though!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Dudes! Quick posting, I know. I can't say this'll always be the case. Just a light couple of days. Might start writing the next chapter tonight, but, I might not post until after this weekend. Anyway, this is a big chapter in terms of story. Enjoy! Also, I don't own Teen Titans, DC, or anything like that. If I did, there'd be a live action movie, or, at the very least, Season 6. **

Meanwhile…

"Garfield, it's great to have you home. This is so hard. I can't bear it, even with you here. I can't imagine how much worse it would be without you. I love you so much." Rita sobbed into her adopted son's shoulder.

"Mom, I love you too. I just wish Steve was here. We might not have always gotten along, but, I know he loved me, and I loved him too. He was my mentor, my boss, my dad. I can't deal with it either. At least we're together." Garfield, also sobbing, replied weakly.

After what seemed like a few minutes of weeping, the two broke from their embrace. "It really is good to have you back, Garfield. I wish it were under better circumstances."

"I know mom, I know."

"Well, now that you're here, we might as well… discuss some things. I mean, we are superheroes, dear. We can't just take days off. Also, I want to talk about you."

"What about me?"

"Anything, dear, but we can do that after this meeting. Business first." Rita grabbed her black doom patrol communicator, pressed a few buttons, and stood up. "Follow me Garfield, we're heading to the conference room."

_The conference room? Mento never brought us into the conference room unless there was some big, end of the world stuff happening. Why would we be going in there?_

"Here we are, now, here come Cliff and Larry, and, what looks like your friend, the witch. What was her name again?"

"Raven, and she's not a witch, mom. She's a great girl."

"I'm sure. Door's unlocked. Come in, and take your seats immediately, all of you."

As the three men found their places, Raven had a confused look on her face. Gar, being the gentleman he was, pulled up the chair next to him, and she sat down. "What's going on?" She whispered.

"I'm not sure myself, Rae. We'll see in a minute." Beastboy replied in hushed tones.

"Hello everyone. First off, welcome back Garfield, it's good to have you home. Raven, was it? Thank you for being for Garfield in his time of need. It shows moral fiber and a kind and compassionate heart. I welcome you as well to Midway City, and our headquarters. Now, onto a more serious topic. For a few months now, Mento had been considering making some changes, and, now that he's gone, I feel that this is the most appropriate time for them, allowing us to have a fresh start. The first is that, effective the end of this meeting, I'm resigning from my leadership within the Patrol. This is something Steve and I had planned on doing, and now, I can do it for the both of us. Speaking of which, we're holding a funeral for Steve on Monday. I've already contacted the Teen Titans, as well as the Justice League, and our friend Victor Sage. After that, I would like to announce that we will all be taking sabbatical for the rest of the month, after which, command of the team will fully be turned over to Garfield. At that point, he may bring in whomever he wants, and run the team. Cliff, Larry, you can make your own decision regarding this, however, I have decided to stay on in a supporting role. Finally, since the Brotherhood of Evil is currently imprisoned, I say that we focus around Midway for the foreseeable future, allowing us to unwind a little more after this-this-devastating event, and allowing Garfield to get his feet wet in leading the patrol. Any questions?"

"Several. One, what just happened? Two, why me? Three, Who would be open for recruitment? Four, could I get my uniform updated?" Garfield blurted out.

"Son, we're making a lot of changes, and putting you in charge is one of them. Steve chose you because he saw how much you had grown, and how you brought a group together to beat the Brotherhood a couple years ago. He decided that you had all of the characteristics of a good leader. If you can get them to join, they're more than welcome. Of course, the rest of us will have an input in the process as well. And of course you can. I'll take care of them tonight."

"Um, alright. What about…him?"

"Your father?"

"No, mom, the Chief."

The name sent Cliff into a rage, slamming his fists onto the table. Larry looked at Gar and shook his head. Rita looked at the changeling with eyes as wide as saucers. Raven, who was clearly caught in a whirlwind of information, was looking at Garfield like he was speaking Greek.

"Why bring him up? You know the reaction that name has. And to answer your question, he hasn't shown up in ages, and we prefer it that way." Rita responded.

"Yeah, if I ever see that bastard again, it'd be too soon. To hell with him!" Cliff roared.

A pregnant silence followed, no one knowing what to say next.

"May I interject?" Raven spoke up.

"Certainly. Throw your two cents in." Larry said.

"Well, based on the reaction to those announcements, I would say that they were pretty out of the blue. I would ask what your teammates would feel about this, and try to come to a consensus. I would also like to offer up my opinion that rushing right back into the saddle is difficult. Finally, I would like to offer my condolences for the loss of your husband, father, friend, and leader."

"Listen, you might think you know what you're doing, but this isn't my first time at the rodeo. While I've never lost the love of my life before, we've been through plenty in the Doom Patrol. Getting back at it is just how we do things. It might seem strange, but, as they say, 'You can't argue with success.'" Rita replied. "Thank you. As you can imagine, it's very hard on all of us. Normally, Cliff isn't so distant and angry, Larry is less apathetic, and I'm a lot less, well, bitchy, to put it mildly. It's usually a lot different."

"Kid, I like you, and I think you've got the right stuff to be a great leader. I'm just getting rusty is all. Literally and figuratively. This body isn't holding up the way I need it to be. Unfortunately, I won't be much help on the field. Seeing as how I'm not the best with computers, ironically enough, I'm gonna have to resign from field work, and, unless you can find something for me, the Doom Patrol as a whole. Sorry, kid." Cliff stated.

"As I've already said, I intend on supporting you, Garfield." Rita added.

"Kid, don't take this the wrong way, but, I'm tired of hero work. I kinda want some time to just relax, be Larry, you know? I can't stay, I wouldn't be fully invested." Larry said, in a monotone that made Raven grimace.

"Well, I guess the only thing left for me to do is accept, huh? I Garfield Mark Logan, accept leadership of the Doom Patrol, effective immediately. I'm glad that you're all staying with me, and I hope that we can continue to keep the world safe. I know I'm not Steve, and that it would take a lot to be as great of a leader as he was. I will do my best, in every area, to make sure the world is a better and safer place." Garfield stated, in an appropriate voice, bordering on humble, confident, and somber.

"Good. Now, unless there's anything else we wish to discuss, I motion to end this meeting, as my last act as leader." Rita offered.

"Second." Cliff replied.

"Those in favor?"

Four "I's" were the response.

"Motion passes. This meeting is adjourned."

Rita, Cliff, Larry, and Raven all rose to congratulate Gar when they heard a shout from the common area: "Glorious! My favorite program, World Of Fungus, is being broadcasted to this television. Boyfriend Richard, may we watch it?"

"Wait, two things: 1)somebody actually watches that junk? And 2) who is that?" Robotman asked, clearly shocked.

"I can answer both of those, Cliff. Starfire, princess of Tamaran." Raven replied.

"Well, let's not stand there, Doom Patrol, let's greet our guests. Rae, c'mon and join us." Beastboy decided.

_Wow. He already has that "leader" air about him, but, it's different than Dick's. Not as dark and intense, but, still, inspiring plenty of confidence. The Doom Patrol's in great hands. _Raven thought.

_Wow, didn't expect that one at all. Figured they were going to go to the three man squad, or bring me in, but with Rita in charge. I just hope I did the right thing. I just want to measure up to Steve, and make the world safer. I mean, an army of mutant gerbils would be great too, but, let's pace ourselves for right now._

"Friend Garfield! I am grieving for your loss. Allow me to make the pudding of sadness for you." Kori greeted.

"Green Bean, Mrs. Dayton, sorry about Steve. I know that Mento and BB didn't always get along, but it's tough to lose such an important figure. I've been there." Cyborg offered his best friend.

"Gar…Sorry dude. I know it's rough. I've been there. I-we're here for you." Dick walked up to the jade jokester and embraced him. He knew exactly how rough losing a loved one was. His actual parents, Jason, countless others. The wounds never fully heal, but, it becomes easier to manage.

"Hey guys, you know Larry, Cliff, and my mom, right? Doom Patrol, you remember the Titans, Cyborg, Nightwing, and Starfire, right?" Garfield offered. "Larry, Cliff, can you show Nightwing and Starfire around? I would like to speak with Rita, Raven, and Cyborg for a minute."

"Sure thing. Let's begin our tour. On the left you'll find…" Larry brought the former Boy Wonder and his girlfriend toward the hangar.

"Alright, let's go back to the conference room." Garfield led his friends to the room, while his mother walked beside him. He opened the door, walked to the front of the room, and bade them sit down. Once all others were seated, he began. "Raven, you've heard this, and Mom, you said it, so I'll just cut to the quick for Victor: I'm the new leader of the Doom Patrol, I'm leaving the Titans, and I was hoping you could tell me if there were any Honorary Titans that would be interested in joining, or any tech upgrades you think you could make while you're here?" _That's a lot to lay on him. Surprised his ears aren't smoking._

"Uh, wow, Gar. This is sudden. Congrats dude, I'm sure you'll do great. I'll really miss you bud. I can definitely look into the tech for you, make it feel a little homier, and have it up to date. In terms of potential recruits, you can start with me, and I know Mal and Karen have both asked me if they could join up somewhere. Jericho, Kole, Kaldur, and Donna are all working unaffiliated too. I'm not sure what Roy and Garth are gonna do after Titans East disbands. Wally's been itching to join up with a team, although Dick told me he might be a mentor to the new kids. Speaking of which, there's a few of them too. Jaime Reyes, Superboy, Artemis, Miss Martian, and Cassie Sandsmark are all looking for somewhere to go. I would even suggest Tim Drake, but I think he'll either go join Dick or go out to Jump, because there's a new Robin. What about you, Rae? I know being a probationary associate member of the Justice League sounds good, but, would you consider it?" Cyborg replied. His knowledge had come from the data he had stored in his brain, which had come almost unbidden. _I could do worse. Plus, Gar could definitely stand to have a friend here._

Raven, meanwhile, was deep in thought. _I need to calm down. Meditate, speak with my emotions. I can guess a few of their reactions, but, I need to be sure. It sounds like Beast Boy is going to have a good batch of new team members. Hopefully Donna and Kara don't come, or Terra. I'd hate to have one of them steal him from under my nose. _

"Uh, Raven?" Cyborg asked.

"Rae, you alright?" Beastboy continued.

"Um, what were we talking about?" Raven replied.

"Vic was saying that there's a bunch of candidates that I could ask to join the Doom Patrol. He ended it with asking you if you were interested. That's the reason that I brought you two in here with me, was to ask. I knew that having my two best friends, as well as two great, experienced heroes, would be a great thing for the Patrol. I know it's not as prestigious as the Justice League, and we don't have a space station, but, I'd be honored if you guys were to join up." Garfield answered.

"Green Bean, you had me at 'tech upgrades'. No way am I gonna be some lackey for the JL when I could be a regular member of a squad led by my best buddy. Plus, I couldn't let our Mega Monkeys VII rivalry go to waste. Count me in!" Cyborg replied.

"Sweet! I mean, we'll still have to interview you, and I'll ask the rest of the guys, but, mom, think Vic would be in?" Gar asked, smiling.

"Of course he would. At the very least, it can never hurt to have a brilliant scientific mind working with us. I would also like to get to know your friends a little more, Garfield." Rita replied, in her best "mommy" voice.

"Awesome! What about you, Rae? We have this awesome library of huge books and*"

"I'll think about it. I need to meditate, and talk to my emotions about it. I should have an answer for you by tonight." She replied, in a monotone.

"Alright. Unless you guys have something to say, let's go find Dick and Kori." Garfield stood up, as did the now two members of the Doom Patrol, and Raven. They left the conference room, and headed toward the lounge, where, fortunately, they found Dick and Kori, curled up on the couch, watching 'World of Fungus'.

"I still don't get how there's a market for this. I mean, besides her, who watches this show?" Cliff moaned, exasperated.

"You'd be surprised. Once the people found out it was Star's favorite show, it became a hit in Jump. Merchandise, live tapings, the whole shebangabang." Victor replied.

"Really? What a weird city." Cliff replied.

"Friends, please enjoy the program with us! I have even brought a shirt of the 'World of Fungus'. I am sure you will all enjoy it as much as I do. Come, sit, enjoy!" Kori turned and exclaimed. She really was into the show.

"Uh, maybe later, Star. Did you guys happen to see Larry? I had some things I wanted to discuss with him. Cliff, you too." Beastboy replied diplomatically.

"Right here, kid. What's on your mind?" Larry replied, from a wingback chair close to the TV.

"Yeah green bean, what can we do for you?" Cliff continued.

"Well, since you guys are, well, retiring, I was just going to discuss a pension plan, as well as pick your brains over some stuff. Any little bit of experience will help."

"What do you mean? Where are they going? Why would you need to ask them for advice? What's going on, Gar?" Dick demanded, voicing concern and surprise.

"Well, Larry and I are getting older, so, we figured we were gonna spend our golden years doing what we want. I'm gonna get back into racing, and Larry's gonna… do whatever it is that he does. Mope, or own a café or something. Either way, we're leaving, and the kid is gonna be the new leader of the Doom Patrol, so, he wants any tips or tricks we've learned over the years. Garfield, to answer you, there's just a couple things I've learned from Mento. Always be thorough, be willing to adapt, and don't be afraid to ask for help. In terms of a pension, whatever you could give would be nice for me, but, I have plenty left in the bank from the old days. Larry?"

"I'm good. Gonna go back to being a scientist, working with nuclear energy. Plenty of money in the field. I heard S.T.A.R. Labs is always looking for brilliant scientists. Appreciate the offer though, kid." Larry replied.

"Alright then. You guys can stay for as long as you'd like. For the rest of you, my dad's funeral is in two days. Until then, let's all appreciate each other's company, you know?" Garfield responded, respectfully. While he wished that Larry and Cliff were to come along, he understood. While they were like uncles to him, they had their own lives, and they deserved to live them. Who was he to stop them? As the rest of the Doom Patrol and Raven sat down, it was clear to Cliff just why 'World of Fungus' had a show. Despite his earlier reservations, he found the show entertaining, enrapturing, even. He couldn't believe it. Cheese was a fungus? Huh. How about that. He didn't notice when the others left, until several hours later, when he realized that even Nightwing had managed to get out of watching it. He was all alone, watching World of Fungus with Starfire. Strangely, instead of complaining about being alone, he closed his eyes, going into sleep mode while the Tamaranian was still captivated by fungi.

**A/N: Phew! Told you it was a lot! Please review! Much love guys! Next Chapter, The Funeral, and Raven's journey to Nevermore.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long! I've had a few family issues, as well as some school stuff, and a couple fraternity obligations, but, I managed to pump out the chapter. I even added a few things I didn't think I would be able to get into this chapter. Now, there's gonna be a character in here that I feel I didn't write as well as I've seen done. Not to say I didn't do my best, I just realize how hard it was. If you noticed, I did kinda borrow the idea from the character in Someone072's "The Watchman" series, which, to be honest, is one of my favorite fics ever. Anyway, I don't own any of the characters, scenes, or devices in this story, DC does. Please don't be mad at me!**

As the others went off, Garfield and Rita going to bring his things, Larry bringing Victor, Richard, and Koriand'r to their rooms, Raven peeled away to her room. At least, the room she had claimed for herself. So what, it was next to Garfield's room? _It's not like we'd be sharing a bed or anything. As nice as that would be… Stop it! Ugh, I need to get to my mirror. Where is it? Aha! Alright._

_"Azarath_ Metrion Zinthos", "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos", "Azarath Metrion Zinthos". Eventually, she left the bedroom she had been inside, instead ending up in a place constructed for her emotions. Unlike Beastboy and Cyborg, when they landed in this emotional safe haven, she knew how and where to land, and where she was. She quickly walked toward the gate, into Happy's land. She was mildly surprise to find all of her emotions already there, figuring she would have at least had to lure Timid or Sloth from their areas. "Well, everyone's here, let's get down to business."

"I agree. Logically, you would be making the right choice either way. If you join the Justice League, you can be established with them, and work your way up the ladder. If you don't, you can really make a name for yourself outside, and eventually be offered full membership. You could always join, and just stay with Garfield though." Knowledge inputted her opinion.

"OH, CAN WE PLEASE?" Happy bellowed. "He's always so quick to make us happy, and he tells jokes, and he smiles and OOOOOHHHH PLEASE CAN WE STAY?"

"Green weirdo. Wants us to drop everything, just to be on some C-class hero squad?" Rude complained, pausing to burp, "as if. Tell him to get bent, while we go up into space!"

"He already knows us; we'd have to make new friends in the Justice League. Too much work, stay here." Sloth intoned.

"But, what if he doesn't really want us? What if he's just joking with us?" Timid asked, voicing Raven's fears.

"Erg. This is why I hate all of you. Obviously, he wants us here, Timid; otherwise, he wouldn't have asked. We don't have to worry about Batman or Superman, or that bitch Zatanna here. Gar and Vic already know us, and accept us. They know we get angry, or scared, or quiet, and they don't treat us like we've got three heads. Why we're still debating this is beyond me, and kinda pissing me off. Go. With. Him." Rage, swaddled in red, looked Raven in the eye, as though nothing were more important than this decision.

"Well, you haven't heard my piece, Raven, dear." A voice called out from the outside of the gathering, smooth and seductive, yet innocent and sweet. A deep purple robe came out of the crowd, standing face to face with Raven, a glint in her eye.

"Well, let's hear it then."

"He's the reason we need to stay. He's literally perfect for us. Cute as a button, maturing fast, but still has the lighthearted side that drives us wild, and, if you haven't noticed, there's a good chance he's into us. What's the Justice League got to offer there? The Martian Manhunter? A ten year old? Oh, how about a massive, red robot? Face it, Ravie, nobody comes close to Garfield, and he isn't going to be anywhere but here."

"Wow. This decision just got a whole lot easier. So, we're all in agreement?" Raven asked.

A chorus of "Yes" was her only reply.

"Alright, I'm going to go tell him. Anything else we need to go over?"

"Not really." Knowledge replied.

Raven exhaled, walked through the gate, and back to her bedroom. She reached out for Gar, finding him with Victor in the garage. She set off to talk to them, announcing her intentions.

**Meanwhile…**

"Vic, done unpacking?" Gar called from in front of the door. "I kinda want to talk to you about some stuff."

"No, I still have plenty of stuff to bring over from the tower. I won't be unpacked unpacked for a few weeks yet. I have unpacked everything I need to for right now though. What's up?" Vic replied.

"Well, it's a few things. One, I want to explain why I invited you and Rae first."

"Uh, go for it."

"Alright, well, from a purely tactical standpoint, you two would be way before Starfire or Dick. A technology specialist on par with the world's best, and a strong fighter to boot? You're a definite. Rave, well, she's so stealthy and smart, and she's insanely powerful. Like, destroy the solar system strong. Again, someone worth bringing in. But, more importantly, you're my best friend, someone I'll really lean on, but, without the 'mommy' dynamic. Raven, well…"

"I know, you like her."

"Well, who doesn't? Oh, you mean, like like her. Yeah. How'd you know?"

"I can read you like a book, BB. Also, you blush, and you stare. How she hasn't figured it out, I still don't understand."

"Oh. Well, yeah. Now you kinda get why it's hard for me to want her to go to the JL: not only would I lose a great and powerful teammate, I'd never get to see a girl that I have feelings for. Had to offer it. Think she'll join up?"

"Between you and me, Grass Stain, I think the room next to yours is gonna get real gloomy sometime soon."

"Great! There's more I want to talk to you about. You mentioned a bunch of potential heroes that might join up. Which ones do you think we should talk to?"

"We should talk to all of them, but, we should really go after, maybe six or eight pretty hard. I'd say, bring in about that many to interview, maybe ten at the most, unless you had a better idea. Personally, my interview list would have Roy, Garth, Wally, Mal, Karen, Donna, Babs Gordon, Jericho, Kara, and Rose Wilson. I might throw on Argent, or Mia, or even Kyle Rayner. That's just me though."

"Alright. My list I had in mind was pretty similar. I didn't have Babs, I had Jason Todd, and this Static kid over Mia, but, I agree with you. How many of them can come here after tomorrow? I mean, I don't want work to run into my dad's funeral, you know?"

"Yeah, I understand. Have any idea what the eulogy's gonna be yet?"

"You know me man, playing it by ear, as per usual."

A knock at the door broke their conversation.

"Hello? Oh, hey, Rae, what's up?"

"First, I just want to say, yes, I'll be joining you. Second, what are we doing for the funeral? Finally, what are we looking at in terms of recruitment?"

She subtly inched herself into Gar, which caused them both to blush.

"SWEET! Awesome, glad to have you aboard! Um, for the funeral, it'll be a closed casket, and a ceremony for family and friends. The ceremony shouldn't be too long, and, yes, Raven, we can serve tea. Now, recruitment, is a different ballgame. Vic and I have comprised a list of heroes, about ten each, many overlapping, that we'd like to reach out to. Between our two lists, only two of them won't be at the funeral tomorrow. We're hoping to gauge the interest of our candidates, and start the process the day after tomorrow. Anybody you'd like to see added on?"

"Well, just off the top of my head, I would ask Wally, Roy, Argent, Mal, Karen, Jericho, Kyle Rayner, and Tim Drake. How many of them were on your list?"

"All of them but Tim. We figured he'd be with Dick. It can't hurt to ask though. So, any objections to asking around at the funeral, and starting Tuesday?"

"None whatsoever. Better to start early"

"Alright, that's really all I have to say. Since The Chief, well, you don't need to worry about him, but, since he isn't coming around anymore, Rita is remaining at HQ to coordinate, kind of like what Oracle did for the Bats. Speaking of which, have you talked to him about coming here instead of the JL?"

"Not yet, I was going to bring it up tomorrow." Cyborg replied. Raven nodded in agreement.

"Alright, that about sums things up. It's getting late. Why don't we all head to bed?" Beastboy asked, effectively ending the meeting. His two teammates agreed, and they each went to their rooms. However, later that night, Raven could make out whimpering from the room next door.

**The Next Day**

_This never gets easier, you just get used to it. At least, this time, I have a family. I have people to lean on. And just like every other time, I can get through it. _Garfield straightened his tie, making sure he looked up to the task he had before him. _Let's get this over with._ He walked out of his room, heading to the lounge area. It was full of superheroes, friends, role models, and even some people he didn't know so well. He mingled for a bit, trying to find his mother, or Raven, or Cyborg, until he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Excuse me, Mr. Logan, can I have a word with you?" He heard from over his shoulder. Without turning, he replied, "Of course."

"Right this way then. You know, you really should look. Blind trust in an unknown entity is what has led to countless betrayals. For example, did you know that Francis Markov, the archduke of Markovia in 1592, was assassinated in a similar manner, down to his death happening at a funeral?"

At this, Garfield was pretty nervous, and, he turned around, to look this assassin in the…lack of face. _What gives? Where's his face? Really creepy._

"Yes, I know, no face. Now, Garfield, let's talk."

"Who are you, and what do you want?"

"Now that…is The Question." _Damn, that was smooth._ "As for what I want, I just want to give you this, and to extend my condolences, and congratulations on the new position. It's an earpiece, direct link between you and me. I'll say the same thing I said to Steve: I can help you out quite a bit, and offer you some interesting insights, but, I can't formally join your team, not yet. I'm not what you'd call a team player. It's a wonder the Justice League has kept me around for so long. Anyway, I'm off, I've got a conspiracy to unravel!"

_Um, what? I mean, alright. Can't look a gift horse in the mouth, I guess. Still, that guy's weird._

_"_I see you've met our friend Mr. Sage then, Mr. Logan. I extend my condolences to your family by the way." A voice snapped him from his reverie.

"Yes sir, Mr. Wayne. I appreciate it. What can I do for you?"

"Dick told me that you were the new head of the Doom Patrol, and that you were seeking new members. I would advise you to stay away from my protégés, especially Tim Drake. He needs to go off and spread his wings, not go and follow someone else's orders."

"To be honest, he wasn't the one I was going to target. I was going to ask Barbara or Jason."

"What?! Are you insane, Logan? He's unstable. He's a murderer. He's*"

"Someone with a skill set that is very appealing. He's a well-trained fighter, highly skilled in weaponry and stealth. He's tough as nails, and hasn't really been part of a team dynamic, at least, not like this. I just want to give him a chance."

"Fair enough. As for Barbara, I would say that, as far as fighters go, she'd be the weakest out of the four. However, as a technology expert, and behind the scenes operator, the only ones I can think of that would do better would be Cyborg and The Question, both of which would be filling a similar role. If you really want her, I would advise you to figure out what role she would fall under. Finally, as a leader, you carry the biggest burden. Not only do you have to juggle your needs, but those of your team, and those of the world at large. I think you will do an excellent job, but, it's difficult."

"Thank you Mr. Wayne."

"Now, one more thing. I'm not sure if you know this, but I'm the one that pulled Dick out to New York. It's so that he can start his own team. No sleight to anything the Titans have ever done, I just need to protect New York, and have some at risk young metahumans be useful. I have a general idea of who the team is going to be, and, to be honest, you guys won't be pulling from the same pool. I imagine that you're bringing in people around your age, whereas Dick is attracting a younger crowd, as well as the older ones not in the Justice League."

"Alright. Thank you very much Mr. Wayne."

"No problem."

_Alright. Batman clearly wants me intimidated. As if I wasn't nervous enough. It's a good thing Cy and Rae are talking to some of the potential members. _Cyborg was talking to Herald and Bumblebee over by the bar, and Raven, Jericho, and Argent were all having a pleasant conversation. He looked at his watch, seeing it was time for the service to start, he walked to the front of the room, and said "May everyone please find a seat? The funeral service is about to begin." The service in and of itself was largely the same as any other. When the time came for the eulogy, Garfield stood up, taking several deep breaths.

"Hello, all. Unfortunately, I wish I could be in front of you with better tidings. My father died today. He was a hero to the world, as Mento, but he was also a hero to me. Now, I know not all of you like him, I can understand that. He wasn't always the easiest person to get along with. However, I just want us all to look at Steve Dayton not as a bad person, but as a hero, one who saved countless lives, including the one of a young green shapeshifter. Rest in peace, Mento."

The viewing went rather quickly, with each hero present paying their respects. Afterwards, an assembly of heroes gathered around him. He knew all of them, except for one. He told each hero when to show up to Dayton Manor tomorrow, and that the interview process was professional, but, that their skills would be tested, so dress accordingly. As Donna, Wally, Garth, Mal, Argent, Kyle Rayner, and Kara left, he found that he was left facing three heroes: Jericho, Barbara Gordon, and a young blonde man he didn't recognize. He told Babs and Jericho to get a hold of Jason and Rose, respectively, before facing the blonde boy.

"I'm sorry, but I don't recall talking to you. Could you please explain to me who you are?"

A stare, followed by a chuckle. "I will do my best. You may have known my sister, Tara. We are from the royal family of Markovia, although, you might not have known that. Like my sister, who had told me about you, Garfield Logan, I too have power over the earth and the ground. While my title is "Prince", you may call me Brion, or Geo-Force."

"Wow. It's nice to meet you, Brion. To be honest, I didn't know Terra had a brother. She didn't really talk about her family much. If you're half as strong as her, then you'll do just fine. Did you get the whole pitch?"

"Pitch? I wasn't aware we were playing baseball. As for your information, and your persuasive arguments for joining, I did not, although, I do not need them. I sought you out because my sister spoke so highly of your character, and your personality. If you are leading a team, I would be honored to be a part of it, for her sake. When should I be back here?"

"Come back tomorrow, at 8:00 am. We'll begin with a power evaluation, and then continue into interviews."

"Alright, Beast Boy, I will see you tomorrow morning, then."

_Well, that was interesting. Terra's brother wants to join. I wonder if he knows what happened to her? I hope so, for his sake._

Garfield walked over to Cyborg, and they walked over to Raven and Rita..

"So, team, let's go over what's happening for tomorrow, shall we? The recruits are coming in at 8 am, and we'll run them through the a nice workout, see whose powers will work best with whose, see who has to work on control a little more, stuff like that. Then, we'll proceed to group interaction, followed by interviews. Now, we'll all be evaluating throughout the whole process, and I feel that we should all communicate who or what we like and don't like throughout. I want this to be seamless and transparent. Got me?"

"Yeah, Gar, but what happens if I like a candidate, and Rae or you mom doesn't?" Cyborg asked.

"Duh, we vote on it."

"Okay. Now that we've settled on the how, can we please talk about the whom, Garfield?" Raven asked.

"Yes, Garfield, Raven is right. Who exactly is coming in?" Rita supplemented.

"well, based on what happened today, the list I have for coming tomorrow is the following: Garth, Donna, Kara, Wally, Mal, Karen, Roy, Babs, Jericho, Rose, Jason, Kyle, and Brion."

"Brion?" Raven intoned. "Who's that?"

"Yeah, never heard of him." Victor added.

"He's the crown prince of Markovia, and he happens to be the older brother of one Tara Markov." Garfield replied.

"Oh. Does he have her powers? Her lack of control?" Raven asked, not wanting to upset Garfield, but, still needing to know.

"Yes, he has the same powers, and I can't speak for his control. We'll find out tomorrow. One last piece of information: The Question has offered his services as an information broker, hacker, and overall resource. Mom, your thoughts?"

"He offered the same thing to Steve, but Steve was too stubborn to take it. I don't see why not. Between Victor, Victor, and I, we should be set in terms of technology, information, and things in that area."

"Alright, that's what I had figured too." Garfield taps his earpiece, and says, "Heard that, Q? The rest of the team is alright with you."

"Obviously they would be. I'm the Question, not some boy scout with a decoder ring. Speaking of which, did you know that decoder rings were actually part of a larger scheme to increase the sale and production of arms?" Question replied.

"Um, no. Didn't think the two were related at all."

"Open your eyes! It's right in front of you! More rings means more paper, which means more trees, which means more trees available for manufacturing, which means more production, which means more guns are made. Honestly."

"Huh. Didn't think about that one."

"Obviously. Catch you later."

"Huh. Mom, did you know he was like that?"

"Eccentric? I had heard so. He's definitely worth the mild inconvenience though." Rita replied.

"Alright, so, now that we've got everything settled, and all of the guests have left, let's clean, and then eat some dinner."

So, the team cleaned the lounge area, which had, unfortunately, been made a mess by a few drunken superheroes. It had turned out that Hal Jordan, though hilarious when drunk, was also very demonstrative, and frequently relied on his power ring to make visuals. The result was a huge mess of broken glass, bent metal, and stacks of empty liquor bottles. The detritus wasn't just from the Lantern though. There were a few other piles, made by Cliff, Ollie Queen, and Barry Allen, weren't too shabby themselves. Between Raven's powers, and Beast Boy and Cyborg cleaning like madmen, they didn't finish cleaning until early in the morning. By the time they finished, they were too tired, and, seeing that they had to be up in a couple hours anyway, decided to go to bed. As he laid in bed, the last thought he had before he fell asleep was, _Oh, God, what am I getting myself into?_

**_A/N: _****See what I mean? The Question was kinda hard for me. I had to make him ridiculous, and intelligent, and arrogant, without making him seem like The Brain. I tried my best. Hopefully you guys liked it. Please, review. Positive or negative. If I get enough, I could star a mailbag, or something, at the beginning of each chapter. Anyway, hopefully you guys liked it. Next chapter: Recruitment, and a conversation between Rita and Raven.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hey, welcome to Chapter 5! Sorry for the delay in posting, I've been busy with job interviews. Fingers crossed! Anyway, since I did get a review I can answer without giving too much away, I can answer it:**

**JasonVUK: Thanks for the review. Also, glad you loved my take on The Question. We'll see more of him, and a couple others, in the 'll see new uniforms, kind of. I'm still trying to figure out who gets a makeover, but there's gonna be at least two for sure right now. As for the convo, you'll read it, and it was actually about a couple different things. As for the lineup, it won;t be like "Every Hero in North America" deal. I don't want the DP to turn into the JL. **

**Please, I don't want to be annoying, but, review! I'd love to answer any questions, or hear some feedback or ideas. Anyway, this is an interesting chapter, with some serious conversations, and the team holding tryouts. Enjoy!**

The next morning, Gar and Rita woke up, and met in the kitchen. "Morning Mom. So, let's talk."

"Alright, Gar, what can I do for you?"

"I want to talk about Cyborg and Raven. Are they, well, in?"

"I mean, I want to interview them really quickly, just to make sure, but, yes. Barring any significant discoveries, they will be a part of the team."

"Alright. Let's wake them up right now."

Gar set to wake up Victor, and Rita went to wake Raven. The four went to the conference room, Raven and Cyborg confused as to why. When they entered the room, Gar and Rita sat on one side, and Raven and Vic sat on the other.

"Alright, let's begin. We have a tight schedule. Victor, Raven, what attributes would you bring to the Doom Patrol?" Gar began.

"What would I bring? Besides some clearly superior video game skills, I'm a world-renowned tech specialist, a great mechanic, and, a very capable hero." Cyborg answered.

"I, on the other hand, bring the wisdom and knowledge of thousands of years of magicians, wizards, and demons, the power of one of the archdukes of hell, and the ability to put a damper on Victor and Garfield when they get out of hand." Raven replied.

"Oh, so, you're admitting to your heritage as a demon? They're dangerous, as well as, well, evil. Why should we bring you in?" Rita replied, calmly.

"Hey, that's pretty*" Victor and Gar began.

"I am, although, as you can see, my nature is hardly demonic. Although I may be short-tempered, a s Garfield and Victor can attest to, I'm hardly evil, and only dangerous when disturbed. You should bring me in because, in addition to what I would bring to the team, I care about the safety and well-being of the people moreso than anything else. I would consider that to be the ideal characteristic of a superhero."

"Victor?"

"Well, like Raven said, I care about people being safe. I don't want anyone to go through what I did, or worse."

"Alright, I've heard about enough. Garfield?"

"More than enough. Congratulations Victor, Raven, and welcome to the Doom Patrol."

Cyborg grinned, and Raven, well, years of Raven-watching gave Beast Boy the tools to discern Raven's mood about ninety-percent of the time. Still, it took all of his skill to see that Raven was conflicted. On one hand, she was happy to be a member of the Doom Patrol. On the other, she wasn't exactly comfortable talking about Trigon, or happy that it had been brought up so casually. Gar, sensing this, walked over to her, and said, "Let's go." They walked outside the room, and Gar asks, "Everything alright? I know that it was out of line for Rita to ask about your heritage like that, but, you know that it doesn't matter to Vic and I right? I mean, you're still the smart, beautiful, powerful Raven, no matter what your dad is." _Did I just say that out loud?_ A blushing Raven looked back at him, thinking _He thinks I'm beautiful? _The look on her face was all he needed._ Shit. Well, no turning back now._ "You know? Like, I still care about you regardless, you could be like that thing Star almost had to marry, and it wouldn't matter." _Smooth. Way to call her an oozing slime monster._

"Um, thanks, Gar. I care about you too."

"Sweet! Anything you need?"

"Um, no. Just being here, like this, is nice though. How long until the rest of the candidates come in?"

_…Shit. _"Uh, yeah, what time is it? 7:52? Holy smokes, we need to get to the hangar! Mom, CY, let's get down to the hangar!"

"Waiting on you and Rae. Figured we'd give you two a little private time." _Jerk. It was nice to just be with Raven though._ As they walked down briskly toward the hangar, Raven reached for Beast Boy's hand. He snatched it, interlocking their fingers, pulling her forward. _Huh. Wonder if that was on purpose. Well, she isn't letting go. I'll ask her about it later._

They reach the hangar, finding all of their candidates there, save one. _Where's Roy?_ Kara, Donna, Garth, and Wally were talking in a corner. Babs, Jason, Rose, and Jericho were all talking at a work bench, while Jason and Rose polished their weapons. Mal and Karen were talking, quite animatedly, with Kyle Rayner about space travel versus… however Mal's horn works. Brion was standing apart from the others, leaning against a wall, eyes to the four Doom Patrol members. Garth walked over to Gar, and spoke to him nervously, "When I went to get Roy this morning, he never answered the door, and I only heard these weird noises. It seemed like he was sick, so, I left him alone."

"Oh, alright. That's fine. Everyone else is here, so we can get started. Since there are twelve of you, and four of us, split into groups of three, and then bring your group over to us." The groups quickly took shape, with one notable exception; Brion. He was still standing to the side, haughtily watching the other applicants. Soon, with everyone else grouped up, Kara and Jericho walked up to him, and with Kara's super strength, pulled him over to Raven.

The groups, having been completed, were: Mal, Karen, and Kyle, with Cyborg; Rose, Jason, and Babs with Beast Boy, and Wally, Garth, and Donna with Elastigirl. Each Doom Patrol member brought their group into the Doom Patrol training center, each running a different gauntlet of tests, but all looking for the same characteristics: leadership, communication, fighting ability, adaptability, and decision-making. For some, like Rita, the test relied more on obeying orders to the letter, without a concern for changes or variations to the original instructions. For Cyborg, it came down to being successful and stylish, combining substance and flash. For Raven, it was about completing the tasks while minimizing damage, ironically coming from the former Titan who had always caused the most collateral damage. For Gar, the most important things he looked for were cohesion and adapting to the cicrumstances. After the first run, they switched groups, Raven and Rita Switching groups, with Gar and Victor doing the same. During the break, Rita walked over to Raven, "Can we talk?"

"Of course, Mrs. Dayton. What about?"

"Well, I know that Garfield trusts you, but, I'm not so sure. I think he was thinking more with his little head than his big one. I'm watching you, demoness. You better not try anything with my boy!"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Dayton, but, I disagree entirely. While I do have feelings for your son, and he did hold my hand today, I'm not sure it was entirely based on that. He knows me. He knows exactly how much talking about my father hurts me, how much the incident where he became manifested in the world literally broke my heart. He knows, he was there. He understands exactly how much I want to protect innocent people, and how much I want to make the world a better place. If you don't trust me because of my heritage, then know that, since defeating my father, I've had exactly zero incidents with my demonic aspects; it's like they lost the will to fight after I beat Trigon. I can say, with all sincerity that I've got a firm control over them. Now, if this has to do with any feelings originating from myself or Garfield about each other, then, let me tell you, Mrs. Dayton: I couldn't hurt him if I was paid to. I remember the last time he let someone in, and I was the one who had to pick up the pieces. That boy is special, we both know that. I want to be his 'Someone Special'. Please don't hold that against me."

Rita stood there, dumbfounded. "Um, wow. Alright then. I still don't fuly trust you, but, if that's the case, then I don't really have any objections anymore. I'll still be keeping an eye on you, but, not because of Trigon. Just remember, if you break his heart, I can have Dr. Fate here in ten minutes."

"Noted. Let's get back to evaluations, shall we?"

"Agreed."

As the evaluations continued, and teams and evaluators switched, they had all agreed on a few general points: A) eah candidate brought different things to the table that would fit in really well with the Patrol, B) the actual difference in skill was negligible at best, and C) this wouldn't be an easy decision. In the end, they were pleased with everyone's physical abilities.

"Alright everyone," Gar began, " you all did great during the first portion of the process, now, we'll take an hour lunch break, and then start interviews. The order is posted, and was randomized. Just to be sure, it's Donna, Wally, Mal, Jason, Kyle, Rose, Garth, Jericho, Karen, Kara, and then Brion. The order, in no way, reflects your chances to make the team. There's finger foods on the table, as well as a cooking staff on call. See you all in an hour." He walked off, finding Raven, and said, "We should talk."

"Agreed. So, what's up?"

"I was wondering something. If you hadn't noticed, we, like, totally held hands today, and, usually that's something that people do when they're together, but we're not together, and I was wondering if you were alright with that?"

"Alright with us not being together, or not holding hands?"

"Um, to be honest, both. I don't want to try to do, like, boyfriend stuff, when you're not interested or okay with it." _Here goes, all or nothing…_

"Here's what I think, Gar…" She grabbed his hand, leaned into him, and gently kissed him. When she pulled back, he had a dumb grin, a deep beige tinge to his cheeks, and glazed over eyes.

"Uh, I'm not sure, could you tell me again?"

"Shut up, Gar."

"Yes, dear." Some time passed, in a comfortable silence, before Gar finally spoke up. "So, are we, you know…?"

"Do you want to be?"

"Duh."

"Me too."

"Sweet!" They walked to Victor and Rita, hand in hand, smiling.

"I'll say it to you, like I said it to Dick and Kori: it's about time, and if you hurt each other, I'll kick both of your asses." Cyborg exclaimed, grinning.

"Garfield, is this what you want?" Rita asked, her voice staying neutral.

"Yes, mom."

"Alright, I can live with it. Raven, remember our discussion."

"Good. Wait, what?" after a look from Raven that meant 'don't ask, you don't want to know, it's nothing bad', he continued, "Let's talk. Anything we really liked or disliked? Anyone prominent for any reason?"

Rita was first. "Well, yes. While I can appreciate Jason and Wally's…candor, I don't appreciate that they can't follow orders. I also found Brion to be unwilling to listen, and having a less than stellar attitude. The people that really stood out for e, positively, were Barbara Gordo n and Kara Zor-El. They were both more than willing to follow orders, and didn't sass back. I wouldn't object to any of the rest, but none of them are screaming, 'pick me'."

"Interesting. Vic?"

"Well, now that you brought them up, I particularly enjoyed a few people you mentioned. I actually found Jason and Wally to be two of my favorites, and I really liked Kara. Babs didn't blow me away, but she was solid. I wasn't a fan of Brion or Garth at all. My favorite, though, had to be Kyle Rayner. He was creative, got the job done, and communicated well. Rose has a great skillset, and she follows orders, but I'm not sure she knows how to actually live with people, you know? Mal and Karen were, well, Mal and Karen. You know what you're getting with them. I like Jericho as a person, and his skillset has a lot of value, but, I'm not sure he really fits in here, and, last but, not least, Donna. I really liked her skills, and she seemed like she's nice. I don't know her that well; she's always been someone Dick mentions in passing, you know?"

"I get you. Raven?"

"Well, I'm going to start with what I didn't like. I understand that superheroes, especially ones without powers to begin with, tend to be angry but, Jericho's anger was, downright disturbing. It was deeper and darker than any hero I've ever seen, paralleling Trigon or Slade. I'm not comfortable with that. I personally didn't see anything in Kara, and the same goes for Rose. Jason, Brion, and Kyle Rayner were all largely ignoring the side-effects and collateral damage of their actions, potentially costing lives and dollars. I've seen Mal and Karen work before, so, they weren't a surprise, and neither was Garth. Barbara really impressed me, as did Donna. I can see why Dick holds them in high regard. My favorite though, was Wally. He was clever, and he made sure to minimize any casualties."

"Alright. Personally, I really liked Rose and Kyle. They were probably my favorites. They adapted very well, they communicated, they never gave up, and, they're really strong. Jason is too, but, he has this propensity for just charging into things without thinking. While that might work every once in a while, he needs to be able to follow through with a plan, or adapt to one if he has to. Jericho didn't really stand out for me, but, it's hard to get a gauge on his powers without having someone else there for that specific purpose. Kara seems nice. She's strong, she's fun, and she can change up on the fly. Babs is another that I really like. She's more than capable in the field, but her strength might just be as the hub for the Patrol. You know how I feel about Garth. I wouldn't really want him around. Mal and Karen are Mal and Karen, no surprises there. Brion listened to me, but, I saw that he didn't really care about anyone else there, and he really just listened to me because of Terra. Wally and Donna are both studs, and I think they'd be great here too. So, interviews. One-on-one or group?"

"I'd prefer group. I think we all would, BB." Victor replied.

The two girls nodded.

"So, all twelve and all four of us in one room? Like rush at a fraternity? Not sure I'm a fan of that. As intimidating as it would be for these guys, I'd prefer all four of us interviewing each candidate, one at a time. Anyone object?" After a minute of silence, he continued, "Good. Anything else we really want to talk about?"

"Yeah, so, we haven't eliminated anyone yet, right?" Victor asked.

"Nope, not yet. I'm not sure how it's going to work, to be totally honest. I have an idea though."_I need to call Dick. He should be alright with it, but I want to make sure first. They could always go with the Titans, or go solo for a while._

The group's leader stood, going back to the hangar. When he arrived, he had found that only Wally had taken any of the pizza on the table. Rather, Wally took all of the pizza on the table. He had a stack of plates in front of him as high as the table, and he was still going like a champ. Jason, though not quite as hungry, was equally intense, eating plenty of food himself. Barbara and Jericho were nibbling on pieces of fruit, while Brion and Rose stood on separate walls, leaning and watching, the former with a haughty gaze, the latter monitoring the competition, checking for potential advantages. Garth, Kara, and Donna all chatted about their mentors, while Kyle recharged his Lantern. Mal and Karen were sitting on the hood of the Doom-Buggy, cuddling.

"Well, hopefully everyone had a nice lunch. We'll begin interviews shortly. Come to the briefing room. It's the second door on the left. It also says, "Briefing Room" in big golden letter on the door. Can't miss it. Donna, I'll give you a few minutes before we begin."

He walked back to the briefing room, Rita having already taken Victor and Raven into the room. He sat down, and took out a pan and pad. Soon after, Donna walked in. The interview, much like the rest, was pretty regular, all things considered. All the candidates were well-spoken, and all seemed incredibly interested. Nobody really seemed to gain or lose any ground because of them. Long after the candidates had left, the Doom Patrol members sat in the room, after hours of discussion over the various candidates. It was hard for them to come to a consensus about who to eliminate, because a candidate that would seem awful to one would be another's number one choice. Eventually, they had come to a consensus on a list of candidates that they all approved of, the soon to be newest members of the Doom Patrol. A few hours later, with all of the candidates, and even his own teammates, fast asleep within Doom Patrol HQ, Garfield landed on a rooftop in New York, finding the two people he wanted to talk to.

"Hey, Dick, Kori, I have an idea I want to run by you. Have a minute?"

A/N: What'd you think? I admit, the BB/Rae get together scene wasn't exactly award-winning, but, I intend to do a lot in that area. The lineup's been basically determined, and we'll see how it works in the next chapter. What happens there will lead to a few different arcs down the road, that I've had in mind since I started the story, or brought in the character. I think you'll all love it. Sorry to sound like a broken record, but, please review! They're like the gift that keeps on giving. Anyway, sorry for the cliifhanger. Next chapter: The Doom Patrol revealed, What's happening in New York, and some team-bonding.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys! Welcome to Chapter 6! It's a little short, but, I really like it. In this chapter, we reveal the lineup for the Doom Patrol. Ooh, Ahh, I know you're all excited. I couldn't fit the team bonding into this chapter, it'll happen next chapter. Anyway, this is Chapter 6, enjoy!**

As Raven woke up, she went out to the hangar, seeing the candidates all asleep across the room. Making sure they were all there, she phased back to the hallway, in front of Gar's room. She knocked on the door, hearing no answer. After a few more attempts, she decided to phase into the room. When she entered, it was entirely void of green changeling. After reaching out for him, and finding he wasn't in or near the building, she became troubled. _Where is he? Did something happen to him? Who doesn't like the Doom Patrol, The Brotherhood? Slade? I better get Victor._ She went to Victor's room, phasing next to his charging station. She unplugged him, and shook him roughly. "Victor, Victor! Wake up! Garfield's gone!"

"What? What happened?"

"I woke up, and Garfield's gone. He's not here."

"Now, calm down. Call him on his communicator."

"Okay." She clawed at her belt, frantically pushing the "favorites" icon, and then the picture of the green-haired man. On the third ring, she saw his face on the screen, and he wasn't alone.

"Hey, Rae. What can I do for you at 3:38 in the morning?"

"Um, you can start by telling me why you're in New York, with Dick and Kori. You could also tell me why you left without letting anyone know."

Victor wanted to butt in 'I knew, he told me after we switched people to evaluate', but he held off, not wanting to undergo the tortures Rage would subject him to.

"I should have told you. My bad, Rae. As for what I'm doing here, I think Dick can explain that better than anyone else. Dick?"

At this point, Nightwing appeared on the screen, but he was different than she remembered.

"Hey, Raven! Like the new 'do? I figured the shaggy hair looked a lot better than the combed look I've rocked since the dinosaurs were in town. Kori says hello!"

In the background, a loud, distinctly cheery voice called out "Friend Raven! Greetings! How is the City of Middle Ways? How goes the patrolling for doom? New York is glorious! Richard and I have been to many of the 'plays of the Broad Way', as well as visiting the park! It is so much bigger than the park in Jump City!"

"Hey Star! Um, it looks nice, Dick. Really 'Rich playboy who doesn't really care'. Anyway, why is my boyfriend in New York, and not here?"

"Your what? Congrats. Gar didn't tell me. It was all business. Anyway, he's here talking to me about some of the people you're looking at, asking my opinion, and what the people who aren't on the team can do. Since recruiting for my team has been…slow, I told him that I would take on any of them. I mean, obviously, some of them, Like Donna, or Roy, or Brion Markov have fallback options, but, it'd be nice to extend the invitation. Who knows, it might work out better for everyone involved."

"I like that idea. I had suggested something similar, but didn't want to impose on you."

"It's fine. What Gar had come up with seems pretty neat too, if we can tweak it a bit. You remember how we had the 'Titans network'? Well, it'd be something like that, but for the Outsiders and the Doom Patrol. If we needed, say, Kara, for something, we'd call her up, and she'd come out and give us in a hand. They wouldn't necessarily live in Doom Patrol HQ or with Kori and I in our awesome warehouse in the outskirts of town, so they could do whatever they wanted, wherever they wanted, but, they could still be able to help us out. Whatcha think?"

"Well, Dick, to be honest, it's not a bad idea. I have a few issues with it. First, what happens when we both need someone? If you and Gar both ask for Jericho, then who would get his services? Second, what if they don't want to do that? If it were me, I'd be kinda insulted to be a 'pool player'. I'd rather go off to do my own thing. Also, could you talk to Tim? See if he'd be able to take a couple of them on? I feel like a few of them would be best served being in a group of people their own age, or a little younger. It'd help them get used to being on a team, or to give them a little more confidence."

"I'll see what I can do. Oh, and Rae?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you come get your boyfriend? He's kinda third-wheeling on my and Kori's date."

"You guys are on patrol for a date?"

"Um, well, maybe. We did actually go out to dinner, and take a nice stroll in the park first, and we're gonna rent a movie and watch it when we get back."

"Such a workaholic. I'll come and get him right now." She phased to New York, and grabbed her emerald-skinned beau, and phased back to Midway. "Tell me next time?"

"Of course, babe."

"Don't call me that."

"Yes, dear." A light kiss on the nose finished his reply. "Since it's so late, let's get back to bed. We do have to be up in a couple hours."

"Can't we just watch a movie? It's almost five, and the recruits are supposed to wake up at seven. We can cuddle for a bit on the couch. You can even pick the movie."

"Sweet! Since I know you won't want to watch anything like 'Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure', why not something we can both enjoy, like, Friends With Benefits?"

"Alright." Raven snuggled up next to Beast Boy, not really caring about the movie. By the time it ended, he was lightly snoring, head leaning onto hers. She smiled, and checked her communicator. 6:45 AM. "Gar, sweetie, wake up."

"Mom?"

"Um, no."

"Raven! Oh, sorry!"

"It's fine. Let's wake up everyone else." They stood, straightening their clothes. They walked first to the residence hallway, going to both Rita and Victor's rooms. After waking their two teammates, they walked down to the hangar, to find that the candidates were mostly awake. Calling upon Barbara to wake up Jason, and using Garth to wake up Brion, they assembled in the front of the room. Gar cleared his throat, and leapt up on top of a workbench.

"Good morning, guys. You've all been great. Sorry for making you sleep in the hangar, there's still some work being done to renovate the mansion/headquarters. You're all excellent heroes, from very different backgrounds, with very different personalities and skillsets. This was a very difficult process, both for you and for us, but, we think we've come to a conclusion. We'd previously identified all of you as great heroes, and potential fits for the Doom Patrol. We weren't wrong, you're all really strong, and smart, and would be great fits. While we didn't come in saying, 'We can only accept three' or anything like that, we can't really take all of you. It's not a slight, because, in all honesty, it wasn't based on personal opinions, or who's better, or anything like that. We want the group that'll gel the best as a team. That, at the present, would be you, Rose, Mal, Karen, Jason, Barbara and Kyle. Unfortunately, after talking to Batman, he isn't letting us steal you, Babs, as much as we'd love to have you. So, the additions to the roster are Rose, Kyle, Jason, Mal, and Karen. Congratulations, you've all more than earned it. As for the rest of you: Jericho, Kara, Garth, Brion, Wally, and Donna. You're all more than welcome to join as well. However, The Outsiders, in New York, is actively seeking members. Since all of you except for Brion know Nightwing, he's been more than willing to take in all of you, and he has more than enough space. Additionally, after consulting with the Justice League, there are a few large cities, both in the US and abroad, that are currently unprotected by any permanent guardian. While we pick up the majority of the international incidents, the amount of metahuman activity in places like Seattle, Rio, and Rome is staggering, especially without any solid hero presence. Additionally, Nightwing wants to implement a sort of shared network between us and The Outsiders. In that, we would all each be on call for the other team, and you all could be as well, if you so choose. Finally, these options are also available to those who were named both as fully on the team and not fully on the team. Any questions?"

A hand rose, based on the deep green sleeves, he assumed it was Brion. "Yes?"

"I have no reason to do any of these things. What do you recommend?"

"Personally, I would go to New York. Nightwing mentioned that he would really like to have you, he thinks that you'd be a great asset."

"Alright. I will go to New York."

"Cool. Any other remarks?"

"Yeah. We're free to do whatever we so choose?"

"Yes, Wally. Whatever you want. Go with Dick, stay here, go on your own, anything short of become a menace to society. The world is your incredibly slow oyster. Run rampant."

"Gotcha boss. I might crash here every once in a while, and work with you guys. That cool?"

"Of course. Any of you can. Now, I have some recommendations from the League and Nightwing for each of you. Who wants to go first?"

"Me."

"Alright, Wally. Dick wants you to go with him. Bruce, Barry, and Clark all say you should either go with him, or work on your own. I personally side with Batman and the Flash."

"Alright. I'll pack my bags. Big Apple, here I come!"

"Okay, who's next?"

"Jericho's signing something fierce. Might want to do him." Victor replied.

"Alright, Jericho. Dick said he and Kori would love to have you. Your abilities would be great for what they do, because they're doing a lot of covert stuff. Batman said the same thing. Sound good?"

Jericho nodded.

"Good, I'll arrange for Starfire to come and bring you there. Who's next?"

"Garth."

"Alright, dude. Dick thinks you'd be best served going off on your own, leaving His Majesty's shadow, and establishing yourself. He said that you should be somewhere with water, so his top five recommendations were Miami, Singapore, Naples, Alexandria, and Seattle. His Majesty, understandably, wants you to stay with him, and Batman recommends going out and having your own city."

"I understand. I've always wanted to go to Miami. I hear it's warm all year round. Thanks Gar."

"No problem. Who's next?"

A blonde streak stopped in front of him. Kara Jor-El looked at him hungrily. "Me, please? Can I stay here? Please-oh-please?"

"If that's what you really want. Superman says you should go out west, and join the Teen Titans, with Conner and Tim. Dick said that you should either go out there, or spend some time working with Diana or him. How do those sound?"

"How often would I be able to come here?"

"As often as you'd like, and as often as they'd let you."

"Alright. No offense, Donna, but, Themyscira doesn't sound fun. I'll go to Jump. Catch ya later, Beastie Boo."

_That no good, balloon-chested, scum sucking bimbo. Trying to steal Garfield? Not okay._

Gar saw Raven's reaction, and replied tersely, "Have fun in Jump. You'll be really busy." He looked over at his girlfriend, and shook his head. "She's not gonna be coming around. I talked to Tim last night, and he's absolutely enamored with her. He'll keep her out west. Happy?"

"Extremely. Donna's next."

"Donna, you were the hardest to find a recommendation for. Diana wants you to be an ambassador to the UN from Themyscira, Batman says you should try protecting your own city, and Dick wants you to go to New York. In all honesty, you could do whatever you want. You could even hang around here."

"Thanks, Gar, but I think I'm gonna take my chances in Chicago, or maybe Rio de Janeiro. I've always wanted to go to Brazil. I'll be there if you call me though."

"Appreciated Donna."

Kyle Rayner waked up. "Boss, do you really want me here?"

"Of course Kyle. You're gonna be a great addition to the team."

"Okay."

Brion swaggered up to Gar. "This is an outrage! I should be on your team. I could buy this team. I do not understand you Garfield Logan. I shall go to New York and make you regret passing up on me."

"Alright, cool. Sorry dude. You'll love working with Dick and Kori though. Speaking of which, Vic, can you call Kori? She has two to bring to New York."

"Will do." Vic replied. After pushing a few buttons on his arm, he added, "She'll be here in a half hour."

"Good. Now, Barbara. You know we really want you, as does Bruce. We know exactly how much he needs you, and we need someone with your skillset too, and you're the best at it. Do you think you could get Bruce to relent?"

"I'll see what I can do. Since you have Jason, he might want me around just to rein him in."

"Hey, I don't… oh, wait, yeah; I do actually kinda need someone to make sure I don't go ape-shit and wicked awesome. Bruce will buy that." Jason interjected.

"Alright. I'll go back to Gotham, and work him. I'll let you know if anything comes of it." Babs finished. She threw a smoke pellet to the ground, and when the smoke cleared, she was gone.

"Um, alright. So, Jason, Kyle, Mal, Karen, Rose, if you'll follow me and Raven, we'll take you to the residence hallway, and let you pick out rooms. We've already marked our rooms, so, other than those, you have your choice. I'll give you guys until Sunday to get your things in order, and to move in. We'll be more than willing to help you. Again, congratulations, and welcome to the Doom Patrol."

**A/N: So, what'd you think? I had a hard time cutting a couple of them, and this wasn't my original lineup, and it wasn't one that I'd heard about from any of the readrs, but, I figure that I can work with this one just as well. Also, I've always wanted to write Jason Todd. He seems so... fun. Anyway, sorry if this one disappointed anyone. Not my goal. I want to make my readers happy! Please review and tell me what you'd like! Much love! Next chapter: Starfire comes to Midway, and team bonding.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: welcome to Chapter 7! Thanks to my awesome reviewers, these reviews really make my day! Now, I know last chapter was really short, but, this chapter should be a little longer. Also, the lineup that was decided upon can, and probably will, at some point, change. I already have a few ideas, depending on where the story goes. Also, I'd like to warn my readers: this chapter contains amounts of Jason Todd. If you aren't used to wicked awesomeness, or aren't okay with profanity, then I apologize. He's almost entirely within the beginning of the chapter, and there is a lot of profanity in that part. Anyway, in this chapter, we have Starfire visiting the Doom Patrol HeadQuarters, and some team bonding. Let me know what you think about some of these characters, especially Jason, Kyle, and Rose. They're not the easiest to write for me, so, feedback would be great. Thanks! Anyway, Chapter 7, Enjoy!**

No sooner than Gar had officially welcomed his new teammates, had there been a crash into the hangar door. Then another. Finally, the doors were opened… forcefully. It wasn't covered in obsidian energy, nor was there a raging Kryptonian on the other side. No, no, no. The multi-ton, ten-foot thick steel doors were being peeled apart by one Koriand'r of Tamaran. When a sufficient amount of space was made, a flash of green energy sped to Garfield and Raven… holding one Richard John Grayson in her arms. _Ha. Must suck for Dick. Hopefully he doesn't still get sick when she breaks the sound barrier. _

"Friends! How glorious to see you again! It has been a short period of time; however, it is pleasant to see you again!"

"Thanks Star. How was the flight?" Raven hugged her best friend.

A green-faced Dick Grayson answered "Um, you know, could have been better. Was pretty quick though. Luckily, it's not that far, so bringing these guys back shouldn't be too bad. Who's coming anyway? Wally's already set up his room."

"Just Brion and Jericho. Donna's going to Brazil, and Babs is trying to get things cleared with Bruce. Kara's going out west, and Garth is going to Miami. Everyone else is staying here."

"What about Roy?"

"He didn't show up yesterday. Garth says he's still in Steel City."

"Ah, alright. Gar?"

"Yeah dude?"

"You sure you can handle Jason? He's, well, a flirt, and a drunk, and he might be a marble short. He's my brother, and I love him, but*"

"Dick, I can handle it. I have Raven and Vic here, and, at worst, Mal can take him to some intermediate dimension to calm down. A super-timeout, if you will."

"Well, alright. If you every need me, I'm just a minute and some vomiting away."

Just then, a loud crash was heard, followed by some quite loud swearing. Gar went to investigate the crash, while Dick turned to the source of the cursing. "Dickie Bird? What're you doing here? Love the haircut by the way. Just screams, 'Look at me, I'm a trust fund dipshit who wants people to think he has fun, except I don't'. Wouldn't catch me dead in it, but, you rock it. Still with that orange alien babe?"

"Thanks, Jay Bird. Kori liked it too, although, her description was a little nicer. Yeah, we're still together. Don't tell her, but I'm thinking about asking her to marry me. I talked to Galfore, and he told me about this whole "proving myself" process I have to go through. I have to beat him, no weapons."

"I'm sure you can pull it off. I mean, I can. All you have to do is to stop being a giant bitch boy about it. How's New York? Think I could steal your girl, or somehow get back to Gotham to get my stuff? It's not a lot, but I don't see Bruce being cool with that. He already thinks I'm crazy, and up to no good. I'm surprised he hasn't tried to keep me in the Manor, or in Arkham."

"He actually trusts you, somewhat. He's also putting a lot of faith in Gar. It was hard for him. You better not make him regret it, or he and I will both come down here and kick your ass from here to Chicago and back."

"Oh, like you could. Bruce, maybe, but not you. Anyway, yeah, total lack of babeage so far in Midway. Then again, I've only been in here, and the grey one and the bug are taken, and Slade girl looks like she's too much of a hardass to be into anyone, even my loveable mug."

"From what Wally told me, Midway's got the prettiest girls this side of Metropolis. Then again, he thought that Jinx was way better looking than Kori. Why don't you take Vic out tonight, and see what's on the menu? He could probably bring you to Gotham to get your stuff from that raggedy ass apartment, if you still have it."

"Love the idea. Nah, don't have the apartment. Sionis blew it up after I broke up a couple big shipments of his. Guns and diamonds, of course. I may have pinched a little for myself too. These guns aren't free, and neither is the ammo. Not to mention this sexy mask."

"Alright, I'll talk to Vic about you going to Gotham tomorrow. It'll be a nice day trip, considering he's never been to the city. Oh, and Jay?"

"Yeah Dick?"

"If you take advantage of my friends, I will come down here, Bruce, Kori, Wally, Zatanna, Selina, and Clark in tow, and take you down. As in, six feet under, down. Hear me? Be on your best behavior, look out for them, be a team player, stuff you've seen me, Tim, and Babs do so well."

Jason smirked. "For you, anything. Except Christmas at the Manor. As well as Alfred cooks, it isn't worth sitting through hours of Bruce-speeches, you know? By the way, why doesn't he ever make you go to those?"

"Um, because me and my smoking hot lady friend, up until about five days ago, lived on the other side of the country, duh. Seriously, Jason. At least now, he might not make you come. I'm just a couple hours away though, so, can't escape it anymore."

"Sucks, bro. Well, now that you know where I am, again, and I'm not stealing your suit anymore, don't be a stranger. You are my big brother after all, goodie-two-shoes though you may be."

"Yeah, I know. As much of a shithead as you are, it is nice to finally be on the same side again. You never told me how you got that suit, by the way. It was passcode locked, not to mention under my bed. How did that even happen?"

"Well, I would tell you, but, it's none of your business. Also, you might be mad at me. Also, uh, Selina, duh."

"SHE TOOK MY SUIT? SHE WENT IN MY ROOM?!"

"Uh, duh. She loved your undies, by the way. Never figured you to be a boxers guy. Especially not hearts. Figured you'd be a tighty-whitey guy, to be honest."

"Alright. I'm gonna go talk to Vic. Don't break anything. Oh, and congrats. Knew you could do it."

As he walked to find Victor, Dick couldn't help feeling like he was being watched. He turned to his left, and to his right, and, after only seeing Jericho, walked over to him. He said, "Hey, Jericho, what's up?"

The mute signed back, Hello, Richard. Nothing much, just, you know, getting ready for New York. Have you talked to my father?

Richard signed back, No, the turtle goes upstream, but the cheetah doesn't wear sandals. What he meant to say, on the other hand was, 'No, I haven't. The others don't know that you're his son.

What?

No. Why?

Because he's, like, your rival. Also, still not talking to him. Rose does, and he knows I won't forgive him.

Oh. Okay.

Yeah. So, my stuff's all packed. Brion is gonna have his servants bring his things from the palace in Zimlaya. Did you know he was Terra's sister?

Yep. Did you kick a donkey last night?

Dick. We need to teach you ASL. You probably won't learn as easily as Kori.

I know. I signed up for classes online. I'm leaving.

Dick, now fully embarrassed, decided to walk away. As soon as he turned his back, looking to find Vic, he got a notification on his communicator. While he always held his Titans communicator, he had modified it, and it became an Outsiders device. It was basically the same thing, except, instead of being round, yellow, and black, with a grey 'T', this device was square, flat, and black, with a green 'O' embossed in the center. He hit the 'O', and a screen appeared inside it. After reading the message, he said "Kori! Grab Brion and Jericho! I'll get Wally to come and get me. We have to leave now."

**At the same time…**

"Oh, Raven, it is joyous to see you! How goes the making of the decisions? Have you established your new teammates?"

"Yeah, Kori. We actually finished about a half hour ago. Donna, Barbara, Wally, Garth, and Kara all left. I think Victor is giving Rose, Mal, Karen, and Kyle the grand tour, and then having them pick rooms. Kori?"

"Yes, friend?"

"Are you as nervous about this as I am? I've never really been in a situation where it wasn't just the five of us. There isn't really anyone on this team like you and Dick: you know, to offset me. I know there's Gar, and he's great, but, there's girl stuff too. I don't see Rose being too eager to talk about, well, what we talk about, and Karen's not the easiest person to talk to. I'm gonna miss you."

"And I you friend. However, the distance isn't so great. You can teleport to New York whenever you wish, and the flight between Midway and New York is very short, maybe a few earth minutes at the longest. We also have the communicators."

"You're right. I'm just scared is all. Anyway, have you and Dick settled in yet?"

"No, not yet. The new tower that is to be our home has been completed this morning, and friend Wally has been moving our things into it. How about you? Have you brought your things? How is your relationship with Garfield?"

"I'm all set up here. It's been going well, for all twenty-four hours of it. How about you? How are things with Dick?"

"Things are good. He takes me out places, and he spends much more time with me than he did in Jump. However, even though I know he loves me, I have been feeling quite the anxious."

"Oh? Why?"

"We have been doing the dating for almost seven years. Yet, that is all it has been. Yes, we have coupled, and yes, the feelings are glorious, but, I wish to be married. I do not know how much longer I can wait."

"Well, I think Dick's really nervous about that. The only married couples he's seen work for an extended period of time were his parents and Clark. He's probably afraid that, if something were to happen to you, that he wouldn't know what he would do with himself. It's something he's seen Clark and Lois fight about for years and years. It's also probably why Bruce and Selina aren't married. I'm not saying that your wants and needs aren't important, I'm just saying that it's probably something that's just as hard on him as it is on you."

"I did not think of this, friend Raven. I thank you. Now, tell me, will you and friend Karen continue the girl talk? Will you bring in friend Rose?"

"I'm not sure if Rose will join us, Kori, but Karen and I certainly will. You can come over whenever we do have it."

"I thank you. Now, may we go and see what has happened with Dick and Garfield?"

"Sure."

As they were leaving, Kori and Raven heard "Kori! Grab Brion and Jericho! I'll get Wally to come and get me. We have to leave now."

"Oh, great. What could possibly be happening. Well, catch you later Kori."

"Goodbye friend, I will contact you as soon as I can." Then a green flash burst from the room, grabbing the two blonde men, while a yellow and red blur scooped Dick up.

"Huh, wonder what that was all about?" Gar voiced.

"I dunno, but I'm hungry. I could also go for a drink. Vic?" Jason offered.

"Way ahead of you, Todd. Dick already told me. I'm down, for tonight and tomorrow. Get dressed, we'll leave in a half hour." Cyborg replied.

As the two men left the room, going on about clubs and bars that they had heard about, Garfield looked around for the rest of his team. _Rae's right here, Vic and Jason are over there. Kyle... _Gar glanced about, until he caught a pair of green hands bringing a host of personal items into the residential area_… is doing that. Now, Mal and Karen are in their room, now, where's*_

_"_Rose? I'm right here." He heard a whisper in his ear. He also felt a hand around his waist, and another stroking his cheek, as well as a bit of warmth around his neck.

"Huh. That's good. Just making sure everyone was here, heh heh."

"Good. Well, I'm right here, Garfield. Just remember that." Rose vanished as quickly as she had appeared, leaving nothing but confusion and rage in her wake. The confusion was all Garfield's, whereas the rage…_Slade Bitch! Where does she come off?! That's my man! Mine! She can't come up and act like a trollop like that, especially not when I'm standing right here!_

"Uh, Rae, everything alright?"

She had to blink away her extra set of red eyes. After a second, she responded, "Yes, dear. Why?"

"Well, I was thinking, since Jason and Victor are going out tonight, the rest of us could get a little team bonding in. Maybe it'd end up with us getting some time to ourselves."

"I'm alright with that. I would love some time with just the two of us." _Without that hussy._

"Alright. I'll tell the rest of the team. Get excited darling!"

As Gar walked off, to tell the other members, she walked to her room, eager to get some meditation in. As she repeated her mantra, the hours melted away, until…

"Rae? You busy? We were gonna do some of that team bonding."

"Um, just a second." She returned her feet to the ground, and opened the door. A gloved hand was held out for her.

"C'mon Rae. Everyone else is waiting." As she grabbed his hand, she couldn't help but feel his emotions; Gar felt happy and excited, as usual, but there were a few feeling she had never felt or noticed from him before. There was a deep feeling of guilt, as well as nervousness, a deep-seeded misery, and, something warm, that she couldn't quite describe, but, was her favorite feeling of all. Before she knew it, they had entered the common room, with Gar saying something along the lines of , "Right, Rae?"

"What? Um, yeah, totally." _Wow, real articulate there. Way to sound like you're drooling all over him. Even though you totally are._

_"_Alright team. It looks like everyone's here but Cyborg and Red Hood, which is expected; they've already cleared their activities for the next couple of days with me. Anyway, we're all here, and there's seven of us, so, unfortunately, I won't be as big a part of this. Now, let's head over to that table." The kitchen table was set for six, and each chair had a note and a bag on it. "Now, you're gonna each go through the bag, sitting at the table, and use what's in the bag to describe yourself, as well as describing your past, plans, likes, dislikes, anything you want to share really. We'll take turns. Since you're the oldest, why don't you start, Rita?"

"Alright Garfield…" Rita began explaining her past, as an Olympic swimmer, and as a starlet, which she recalled quite fondly; "I loved Hollywood. It was where I really used my natural gifts to my advantage. There was never a dull moment, but I was enjoying my successes until…that day. We were on set shooting an accident scene, when a real accident happened. A vat of chemicals spilled all over myself and the leading actor. I survived, but he wasn't that lucky. The chemicals gave me the ability to change my body length, making myself stretch as much as I desired, but, I had no control. I ended up wrecking the set, and basically being run out of Hollywood. That's when I joined the Doom Patrol. Later, I met Steve, and we…" she choked back a sob, "we weren't right for each other at first, but eventually, we fell in love. We go married, and later, Garfield came into our lives. My past has basically defined who I am. That's all I have to share."

"Alright. Well, since I'm the next in line, I'll go next. For those of you who didn't know already, I'm Mal Duncan, also known as Herald. I've been involved in crime fighting since I was a little kid. I grew up in St Louis. One night, after I had saved this group of kids from a street gang, I had this crazy dream that I was fighting a demon, or a fallen angel, or something. In the end, I survived, and met the archangel Gabriel. I didn't believe it until the next morning, when I woke up with Gabriel's horn in my hands. Ever since then, I've been doing this hero thing. A couple years ago, the last time we were here, actually, I met this lovely lady named Karen. We dated, and eventually got married. Eventually, when I'm too old, or when there's no more need for superheroes, I want to open up a restaurant, either back home, or in New Orleans. I'd love to just sit and play jazz the night away."

"Alright. I'm Karen. My parents, growing up, they were animal geneticists, and they just loved bees. They had this serum that they wanted to test, and who better to use it on than their five year old daughter? It was really messed up. Anyway, the serum worked; it gave me these cute little wings, and the ability to shrink. Since I've had them for so long, I've been able to hone my powers pretty well. One day, after things were looking their bleakest, I met my Prince Charming, and, we've been together ever since."

"Wow. Alright. My name's Kyle, and I'm the newest Green Lantern. I used to be an artist, and, not really a successful one. You guys remember when Hal Jordan went crazy, and destroyed that city on the west coast, as well as ruining Oa? Well, I do. A ring came from one of the fallen Lanterns, and ended up with me. Now, I try to use my courage and wits for good. Fortunately, I've been able to work on some of the other colored rings. Not to brag, but, a couple of the Guardians say that I'm one of the most powerful Lanterns, of any color, that the Universe has ever seen. Now, I just want to make the Universe, the world, anywhere I can, a better place."

"Okay. I'm Rose Wilson. I'm from… what you would call a complicated family, as Garfield knows. My brother is Jericho, whom you've all met. My dad, well, he just happens to be the world's deadliest assassin, Deathstroke. When my parents split up, my mom took Joey, after his accident, and left Grant and I with our dad. He trained us to be the best. We were in peak physical condition, however, because of our rearing at the hands of a madman, the same couldn't be said of our mental health. Growing up, all I ever wanted to do was maim, and kill, and harm, because I saw them as wastes of space. It was when Garfield saved me, showed me how I could actually help the world, how much better life could be, and how much my dad really messed me up."

"Well, I'm Raven…yeah. I don't really like talking about this, even though half of you already know the story. For Rose and Kyle, I'm the daughter of an Azarathian woman named Arella and Trigon, the Thane of Perdition, Lord Scath, Ddrez, kin of Cthulhu, an inter-dimensional demon. Unfortunately, this is where my powers come from, and, until my father manifested himself, I didn't have much control over them unless I meditated all day, and suppressed my emotions to inhumane levels. That was really a defining moment for me. It gave me faith in my friends, it let me open up my emotions, and, it may have been the moment I confirmed that I had fallen in love with one Garfield Mark Logan. I had always thought he was cute, and, after the Malchior incident, I realized I had feelings for him, but, that day sealed it. Ever since then, I've been living with my best friends, and learning what I could, and things couldn't be better."

"You know what? You've all inspired me to share too. And I'm actually gonna use the stuff in the bag. Hmm. A rock. Wow. There's a lot to tell there. When I was growing up, we lived in a part of Africa called Upper Lumumba. There wasn't really much to play with, except for rocks, so, I played with animals. One day, I got bit by this green monkey, and caught Sakutia. If my parents hadn't given me the experimental serum they'd been working on, I would have died. Instead, I turned green, and, learned how to transform into animals. My parents were always my rock though. One day, we were on a boat, and the hull crashed into this boulder that had appeared out of nowhere. I tried to save them, I really did, but, I couldn't. It hurts me, to this day. Since then, I've always wanted to be a hero. The rock also reminds me of this girl I knew, Brion's sister, Terra. I had a huge crush on her, but, more than anything, she was my best friend. She, much like her brother, could control the earth. Unfortunately, she had been working with Slade, and, it broke my heart. Raven was there to help me pick up the pieces, and ever since then, I've had these feelings for her. What else is in here? A book. Well, after my parents died, I bounced around, first with my mean Uncle Galtry, then with a band of thieves, before I was finally taken in by Rita and Steve. Seeing as how I'd lived in either: A) the jungle, or B) a cage, my entire life, Steve and Rita made sure that I learned everything a boy should. Who knows how much worse things would be without them?"

A pregnant silence filled the room, until "Bring it in, guys! I need a hug!"

"Aww, honeybee, come here! Gar, Rose, Kyle, Rae, Mrs. Dayton, you guys too."

The group hug lasted for a minute, until Raven phased out. "I'm sorry everyone, but, I'm still physically unable to handle the strain of all of your strong emotional outpourings at once, in addition to my own."

"Well, it's alright. I feel like we've bonded enough as a team today. Doom Patrol, hit the sack!"

**A/N: Well, that was Chapter 7! Hopefully you liked it! Again, feedback really makes me happy, and makes the story better, especially on certain characters, like the aforementioned Rose, Jason, and Kyle. Hopefully you enjoyed chapter 7! Please review! Next chapter: Jason and Cyborg take Gotham! Training! Uniform changes! Well, probably. What else might happen? Tune in next time to THE DOOM PATROL!**

**P.S.: You guys are awesome!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hey! Sorry for the delay in posting, but, I've had midterms. So far, so good! Anyway, here's Chapter 8. This chapter's mostly a light chapter, without too much going on. It's gonna be really heavy on Jason, which, I love writing. Let me know what you think of him! In this chapter, we have Jason and Victor in Gotham, appearances by some of the Bat-Clan, and costume changes. By the way, in the first half of the chapter, all of the thoughts, which, if you didn't know, were in ****_italics_****, are all Jason's, to avoid some confusion. As always, reviews are welcomed. Now, to answer my one, lonely piece of fanmail:**

**JasonVUK: Really? I'm glad you found it so touching. I personally enjoyed writing and reading it, but, it took a little research, and some creativity. Thanks!**

**Now, onto the show!**

Jason Todd laughed as he watched Victor pack a bag. _This is the guy Dick was telling me about? I mean, sure, he seems big, and, since he's a robot, I'd imagine he'd be smart, but, damn. Dick made this guy seem like he was this big, smart, magnificent, All-American bastard. He might as well be a calculator's kid with a water gun. I wonder if he…_

_"_Jason."

_No, probably not. "_Yes, BlenderBot 5000?"

"What'd you call me?"

"Nothing, BenderBlender. What's cracking?"

"Um, okay then. Get in the car. I want to get out to Downtown before the sun comes back up."

"Alright. Dick said you knew the good spots around here."

"Yeah man, I had a buddy who lived here for a while, said this bar was where it was at. He also said there were a couple clubs nearby. Hold up." Vic rummaged through the glove box of the T-Car, until he found the object of his searching.

"What's that? Does it let you set yourself to purée? What about liquefy? What are you on now, stir?"

"The hell are you talking about?"

"Nothing, Cuisinart. So, we off?"

"Yeah. Car's open." They sat down, buckled up, and Victor started the car. The left Doom Patrol HQ, abd Victor, thanks to his internal GPS, quickly found the highway. Around this point, he asked, "So, just to be sure, you were Red-X, right?"

"Who else could thoroughly beat my brother's ass with the style, grace, and kick-ass one-liners that I used? Of course it was me."

"Huh. I always thought it was a clone, or maybe some guy that had some complex against Dick."

"If by complex, you mean 'He's a total douche, with a stick up his ass, and I like fucking with him', then, yes. Can you really blame me though?"

"You got me there. Did you really have to steal stuff? And work with the Brotherhood?"

"The stealing was to draw attention, and because I owed Selina for getting me the suit. The Brotherhood cornered me into working for them. Luckily for me, you guys came in, and I could slip out. It wasn't personal."

"Huh. Alright, then. What's the deal with all this flirting?"

"Literally just to bother Dick and the Brussels Sprout. They're both hot, but, I want a bad girl. That Slade-chick seems pretty hot. I might want to work on that."

"Do you, dude. I have no clue who I'd be looking at out of the meta-girls out there."

"Bro, you know what you should do?"

"Uh, date a few of the girls and see? Somehow find the unmitigated wherewithal to ask Zatanna out?"

"I was gonna say offer smoothies. With a smiley face on the cup. Bitches love smiley faces."

"Why smoothies?"

"You know, smoothies, blender?" Nothing. "Nevermind. Anyway, yeah, Zatanna. Maybe even Rita?"

Tires screech, and the T-Car suddenly stops in the middle of the interstate. "Um, you mean our boss's mom? Our teammate? The recently widowed Rita Farr? Are you outside of your damned mind? Oh wait, you definitely are! Who even thinks of that? Do you understand the level of messed up that is? Do you know how awkward that would be?"

"I know that if you and Gar ever get into an argument, you would then have the ultimate trump card. Nothing ends an argument faster than, 'I did your mom'."

"You're ridiculous, man. No, I'm gonna play the field, and, if we ever interact with the JL, then, I might ask Zatanna to get dinner."

"She dated Dick for a while. It was in between Kori and Babs. I'm kinda surprised you didn't know that."

Silence permeated the car. Soon, they exited the highway, eventually landing at the bar they wanted to go to, 'Rapture'. When he parked, Victor grabbed the ring he had dug out earlier, and slipped it onto his finger.

"Whoa! It may just be me, but, you're not a blender anymore! How'd you do that?"

"It's called a holo-ring. It covers up all my robot parts, and makes me look, well, like a normal guy."

"Yeah, about as normal as a six-five, three-fifty dude can be."

"Out in Jump, I always just told people that I played for the Marauders. Here, I'd do something similar. Fortunately, Michigan Methodist is just outside of Midway, and I look like I could be in college."

"Huh. KitchenAid has all this figured out. What about the cover?"

"What about it? You better have the money."

"About that… I may or may not have spent it on snacks for the trip tomorrow. Can you spot me?"

"Sure." Victor paid the cover, and off they went. For the proceeding few hours, Jason got, well, hammered, to be blunt. Jason had never seen anyone drink so much as Victor had. _Must be because he's a blender. _They danced, and drank, and drank, and danced. After last call, Victor grabbed Jason, and walked back to their car. Jason, in his drunken stupor, still reacted negatively to his friend driving.

"Whoa there, pally. You can't be drinking and drinking and drive. That's against the Bat-rules. I don't want to die, and you don't want a DUI."

"Jason, I'm not drunk."

"Bull. You drank half the bar."

"No, I can't actually get drunk. My robot half won't let me. You could breathalyze me right now, and I'd blow zeroes."

"Okay. You know where you're going? I wanna sleep, and this chair is so comfy."

"Yeah bud, Dick gave me an address. Even if I didn't, I could just think 'Gotham', and the car would drive itself there."

"Huh."

They both fell asleep, as the T-Car drove to Gotham. As the car came to a stop, it woke Victor up. He shook his companion, who woke up with a jolt.

"Bruce?! Oh, it's just you, Cuisinart. What's with the wakeup call? Make me an awesome breakfast smoothie? Hopefully you didn't put any blueberries in there. Hate those things. Ever since that Willie Wonka movie…"

"What? No. We're in Gotham. Direct me as to where we're going before*"

A hand rapped at the door. "Get outta the car! We're commandeering it for a little job we have." A heavyset man with a distinct Gotham accent spoke up.

"What is it, you gonna rob a McDonalds? If you do, get me a milkshake?"

"Hood, not the right time for this."

"Wait, 'Hood'? As in, 'Red Hood'? Sorry, sir. We'll just be leaving."

"Sure, whatever. Just remember, strawberry milkshake for me, Big Mac for the blender."

"Yeah, you got it. Just don't kill us." The attempted car-jackers scurried away as Jason laughed.

"Um, what was that?" Victor asked, incredulously.

"I wanted a milkshake. Also, I figured you could use a bite to eat."

"Um, thanks. So, where's your stuff?"

"Oh, that? Um, not sure. Maybe a little here, maybe a little at the Manor, maybe some with Selina. Who knows, Sionis might have even stole some."

"WHAT? I did not sign up for this."

"Oh, come on, it's not like this is worse than sitting on the counter and making me some delicious, nutritious, fruit and vegetable based beverages."

"Whatever. Let's get started. Since I can go to the Manor, why don't you go check with Selina? We can meet up here in a couple hours."

"Alright, sounds good."

Victor drove off, when he heard a rustling in the back seat. He turned around, seeing… Robin?

"Um, since Tim Drake's in Jump City, I'm guessing you're Damian?"

The small boy turned and grinned. "Yes, Mr. Stone, I am Damian Wayne. Grayson told me about you, as did Drake. Blithering idiots. Not as bad as Todd though. He kept calling you a blender."

"Yeah, cool. So, um, what are you doing here?"

"Nothing concerning you. I was told by Drake and Grayson that Todd would be coming to Gotham with you, and I wish to make sure he isn't sending you on a wild goose chase."

"How?"

"Well, first, we'll go to the Bat Cave. After this, you will speak to my father, and he will give you Todd's things. Additionally, I believe he has a mission for your group, the, um, What was it again?"

"Doom Patrol?"

"Ah, yes, the Doom Patrol. Father mentioned a Ms. Farr when discussing the parameters with both Alfred and Grayson."

"Alright. Tell me how to get there."

"Okay." As they continued driving, things lulled into a comfortable silence, until the T-Car reached the Bat Cave. Victor pulled in, and parked in a spot near the Batmobile. He got out, while Damian leapt up to the BatComputer. He heard a pair of voices, the first being Bruce.

"Victor, good of you to join us. I trust you and Jason had a safe trip?"

"Yes sir, Mr. Wayne."

"Good. You've met Damian, as well as Alfred."

"Always a pleasure, Master Stone." Alfred offered.

"You too, Al. So, what can I do for you all?"

"Well, first of all, we wanted you to bring Jason here for a little while. Selina should be bringing him by sometime soon. Also, I wanted to give you this. It's a mission from the Justice League that we felt would be better served by your team than by the Justice League, or by Dick's Outsiders. It's a little too Black Ops for us, and it takes more people and stealth than Dick's team can manage at the present."

"Thank you, Mr. Wayne."

"No problem." A thud was heard in the background. Two people walked toward Victor and Bruce.

"Sup bitches? Alfred, you magnificent manservant. Damian, you creepy little bugger. Daddy Bat. You kill the Joker?"

"No. You know better."

"I should at this point, huh? Anyway, how's it hanging? Selina here was filling me in on the details. By the way, this woman is a lifesaver. Not only did she keep my stuff safe, she even bought me a shiny, new, motorcycle!"

"It was nothing, really. I may or may not have used your money, Bruce. Sorry." A sultry voice purred.

"What? Selina, I thought that was for Christmas gifts this year." Bruce replied.

"It is. For Jason. I kinda… stole yours, and Dick's and Barbara's, and Cassie's, and Tim's, and, nope didn't steal Damian's."

"How do you steal a condo?"

"I may or may not have persuaded the former residents that it was the site of a crime lord's hideout."

"Huh. Well, Barbara will like it."

"Speaking of which," Victor interrupted, " I know she's vital to your work here in Gotham, but, we really need Babs with us. As we've discovered, Ms. Farr isn't exactly technologically savvy. She can't even program the VCR. Which, apparently, they do have. It isn't 1995 anymore."

"I understand, however, it's not like I have a replacement just ambling around here."

"Sir, not to intrude, but, you do. Who do you think taught Miss Gordon all she knew?" _Alfred! Yes, you're a godsend!_

_"_Alfred. No. You are not gonna be my Oracle."

"Sir, with all due respect, I think I am much more suited to this role than you think. Allow Miss Gordon the night off, and allow me to try my hand at it. I'm sure Miss Gordon could use a night's sleep for once."

"Yeah. Babs has been dying to go out and actually be a Batgirl again." Jason offered. "What? We talk. Not just about the Joker being a terrible person either."

"Alright. We'll give it a try. Anyway, Jason, now that you're here, let's talk. You know we're here, and we care, right?"

"Yes, Bruce."

"Good. Now, Alfred, Jason's things should be in his room." After the manservant left, Batman continued, "I took the liberty of finding your things and bringing them here. Wanted to look out for your things, and it gave me an excuse to bring you here."

"Okay. I'll bite. You brought me and the blender here so I could tell you what kind of smoothie is the best?"

"What? What blender?"

"He's standing right there."

"Yeah, I was actually gonna ask, what's the deal with that? How do I even remotely resemble a blender?" Cyborg butted in.

"Um, to be honest, I'm not sure myself. Jason?" Bruce asked, equally confused.

"That's for me to know and you to never find out."

"Um, alright. So, here are your things, Victor, give the drive to Mr. Logan, and I'll give you a call regarding Barbara."

"Alright. Jason, let's get outta here."

"Later bitches. Just remember, Barbara would be much better off in Midway. Let her out of the wheelchair, Bruce." The pair entered the T-Car, pulled out of Wayne Manor, and back to Midway City. As the car got back onto the interstate, Victor called Gar.

"Hey bud, we're heading back now. Good news on the Babs front. Yeah, Alfred really helped. Um, no, sounds good. Um, do I really have to? Alright. Um, I can't speak for Jason, but, Purple and black sound good to me. Yeah, I can do it myself. I'll do it when I get back, no worries. Alright, we're just hitting 175, I gotta go. Catch you later Boss Bean." Victor hung up the phone, and looked at the GPS. They had just gotten to Pittsburgh. About three hours to go. He turned the radio to his personal Taupe station, and kept on driving.

**Meanwhile, in Midway…**

"Morning everyone! Report to the training room. We want to break a sweat this morning." Garfield's voice piped over the intercom. A few minutes later, six crime fighters joined him in the training room. "Everyone's here? Great! Let's get started. We're gonna pair up, and fight the team member who's the best at what we're the worst against. These pairings are Raven and Rose, Mal and Kyle, and Rita and Karen. I'll be supervising, among other things." As the fights began, it was clear that all were at a disadvantage. Rose couldn't get close enough to deal any blows to Raven, nor could Raven get a hold of her with her powers. While Kyle's creative conjurations packed a wallop, Mal could simply transport himself away. Unfortunately, he was proving to tire fast, and hadn't the quick-thinking that Kyle had. Kyle, on the other hand, was easily distracted, especially by his teammates of the fairer sex. The final pair of fighters, Rita and Karen, were changing sizes all the time, trying to get a leg up on the other one. Unfortunately, Karen had never dealt with someone else who could change sizes. Rita, however, was just struggling. She was slow, and the blows she dealt were weak. These went on for another few hours, until Garfield spoke up. "Alright, that's enough. Good work everyone. It was nice to see everyone get a little better, I know the potential here is incredible. Anwyay, I wanted to do this when Victor and Jason were back, but, I decided to go ahead, after consulting with Victor. As you know, here at the Doom Patrol, we do have a loose uniform policy. The real requirements, to my knowledge, were purple or black. Well, I'm holding all of you too it. While it's entirely up to all of you how you decide to incorporate them, I've mocked up a few suggestions, looks that I would consider were I in your position. Again, s long as there's black and purple, how it actually looks doesn't matter to me. Anyway, let's go to the memento room."

As the group moved into the room, they were met with life sized maaequins of themselves, with a few different costumes. They each had a grotto of mannequins, and a small, enclosed area to change in. One by one, they each walked to their own individual areas.

_This isn't so bad._ Raven thought. _This one, though, was definitely made by Gar. Way too much skin showing. Never knew he was such a leg guy…_Raven was looking through the few costumes Gar had designed. With one notable exception, they were all modifications to her current costume. Changing the leotard, altering the length of the cloak, all but one. _This one's so different. _The one she currently held in her hand was, by far, the most radical shift from her current attire. Gone was the cloak, although a hood was part of the ensemble. While her leotard had long sleeves, this costume had no such feature, instead having long, fingerless gloves. The outfit, much like her leotard, hugged her lithe figure, although, instead of the leotard bottom, it was cut up to the hip, but had pant legs, which, without significantly limiting her mobility, allowed her to fly while protecting her modesty. The part that she wasn't a huge fan of, however, was the material itself. _Shiny black leather? Azar. I look like a dominatrix, or like a gothic Catwoman. Still, it is pretty comfortable, and the cape isn't exactly one of my favorite parts of my current ensemble. Plus, these purple accents are pretty good looking. I can live with this. None of the others really caught my fancy._

_Huh, he really does know what I like. _Rose giggled. _He's so dreamy, but that stupid Raven girl just had to take him. Ugh, what does he see in her anyway? _She frowned, before picking up the next costume. _Me likey! _It was a far cry from her father's bulky, heavy suit that she had modelled her own after. It was light, made of a combination of Nomex and Kevlar, along with some other materials, and breathed like Egyptian cotton. It had a black base, with purple pieces of Kevlar in a few places: forearms, shoulders, chest, thighs. She loved what he did with the mask, though. Like her previous mask, it was half black, but the other half was a deep, royal byzantium. He had managed to make it just as durable as before, but not nearly as heavy. _I could definitely get used to this…_

_What's so wrong with my costume?_ Mal then looked at his reflection. _Oh, yeah, I kinda look like Doctor Doom. I'd hate to look like a comic book character. Nobody'd take me seriously._ Mal looked at the costumes before him. _No, too much metal,_ _looks bulky..._ _Looks like there's nowhere for me to put my horn on this one… Oh, that one looks good._ Mal put it on, and liked what he black cowl looked almost like his former cloak, but had a much more intimidating air about it. The jumpsuit he wore was flexible and sturdy. Unlike Gar's suit, it wasn't black with a purple stripe, but a deep, dark purple, with a black strip in the middle. Mal liked the cut, the color combination, he even liked the harness for his horn, which there were two of : between the shoulder blades and a hip holster on his right side.

_Bees aren't purple, so, why am I? Because I'd lose the best gig I've had in my life. Plus, the purple is kinda flattering. I just don't like all of these stripes. Aha!_ The outfit she had picked up, while still having stripes, was much more modern in its design. No bulky stripes, instead thin, but not to where the colors started to blend, black and wisteria. The leggings were similar to her old ones, with a wisteria stripe down the side, thinner than those on the shirt, with holsters for her stingers. _Looks like we have a winner._

_Hm. Which of these looks best? I really like this one, and it'll give me a little more protection, but I don't want to give up so much flexibility…This one feels right. It's got some more armor, but it's still flexible, and it looks good. I just don't like the sleeves. There's the long sleeve. Works for me._

_"_Garfield!"

"Yes, mother?"

"This is ridiculous! Why do I have to alter my costume.?"

"You don't. I just made those in case you wanted to."

"Oh. Alright. Kyle's here."

"Doesn't anyone see that I'm changing?"

"I do. I just wanna tell you that the ring makes my suit. So, all things considered, these costumes mean nothing. Also, do you know the colors behind the rings?"

"I do. I understand Black is death, Purple is love, Red is Rage, Blue is hope, Orange is greed, yellow is fear, green is courage, and indigo is compassion."

"Exactly. Since I've mastered all of them, I could make myself White Lantern. However, I don't want to do Black or Purple, because they're so hard to control, and devastating if I can't control them."

"I understand. By all means, be a White Lantern then. Don't want to ake things more difficult." The door opened.

"Thanks, boss. Love the suit, by the way. Really seems.. well, powerful."

"Thanks Kyle." He saw Jason's section of suits, as well as Victor's parts, and decided to leave them alone. "Doom Patrol, everyone changed?" Five positive answers were voiced. "Alright. Let's eat lunch, and then we should relax for a bit." The team left the room, examining eeach other's new suits. Gar's communicator rang.

"Hello? Yeah. What's up? That's good, how? He's a good guy. Listen, we all updated our looks, you and Jason have to too. Yeah, you do. Um, we have to have purple and black. I can just make up replacements for what you have in those colors. Um, okay, I already made some, but I'll leave you to it. How far out are you? Alright. Get home safe." Gar closed the communicator, and walked into the kitchen, looking for something to eat.

**A/N: Yeah, that was pretty light, like I said. Hopefully you like the costumes. If I could find something similar online, I would post it in here, but, no such luck, I'm afraid. Anyway, hopefully you liked it, and, as always, if you review, I'll be your best friend, maybe. Anyway, I'm not sure if I should spoil what happens in the next chapter, but, I'm sure you'll like it. At the very least, I can say, it's the start of a new arc, and you might not like me too much after it. Until next time!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in posting! I've been working on some schoolwork, what with midterms and all, and got caught up. On the plus side, this is the beginning of the real action! I've already story-mapped out the next few arcs, and I have a great idea for expanding the universe as a whole. Now, to answer fanmail! **

**Based Bobcat: Glad you love the story. The characters and their interactions are definitely two of the things I'm trying the hardest to get better, so I appreciate that you like them so much. Now, for your questions: 1) Speedy's really off in the periphery right now, but, the absence isn't lost on his friends, and it'll become an issue at some point in the future. 2) Gar/Rae/Rose is gonna get a little more attention in the coming chapters, and we'll go in depth a little more. It gets juicy. As for Jason/Victor, yeah, I liked that one too. They just seemed like a natural pair of bros. 3) Kyle, much like everyone else, aside from Rita and Batman, is in his late teens, or early twenties. If you want exact ages, then: Gar(19) Rae (19) Vic(22) Wally(20) Dick(20) Kori (21) Rose (18) Kara (17) Tim (15) Donna (21) Kyle (20) Garth(19) Jason(17) Mal (21) Karen (20) Babs (20) Brion(26) Jericho (20), and the other ages will come in time. Anyway, here's Chapter 9, the start of the first major Arc. **

As Victor pulled into the headquarters, he was surprised to find the hangar devoid of human occupancy. He and Jason got out of the car, and Victor opened his communicator. "Ay, String Bean! We're in the hangar. Could you send Raven or Kyle down here? Jason has some stuff down here that we're gonna need a hand with. Also, can I have a word with you?" "Yeah, dude, of course. Rae and I will be right down." A couple minutes later, their leader and his grey girlfriend entered the hangar. "Vic! How was Gotham? How was Midway? That club I told you about good?"

"Dude, that club was banging! The DJ's played a great set, and the girls were gorgeous! The bar was a little light for my taste, but, hey, can't win them all. Everywhere else seemed pretty lively. Much more than I would have figured, at least. Gotham was good. Got to see Batman, Alfred, Robin and Catwoman. Also, Jason made us wait for some guy to bring us McDonalds. That's why we were late. Hell, I was surprised the guy even showed up."

"Good. Raven, could you give Jason a hand with his crates of… ammunition? Victor and I need to discuss something." As he watched the empathy float away, he couldn't help but have his gaze linger on her backside. _Mm. She's got a killer body._ "

Yeah, Gar. So, in the Batcave, Bruce gave me this. He said it was a mission that he had for us, that he couldn't trust to Dick's team, and he didn't want the JL doing because it's kinda Black Ops. He said everything we need to know should be on the drive. I haven't got a look at it yet, but, I could pull it up real quick."

"Could you, please? I want to have an idea of what we're going to be going into." The metallic man quickly grabbed the drive, and plugged it into a drive in the console of the T Car. It projected a series of names, a map, and the layout of a building, as well as a massive bloc of text. "Hm. I can see why he wouldn't want Dick for this: it's gonna take at least seven people, and you would need someone like me, Raven, and Kyle to get this done. I mean, this'll take the whole team, and we'll definitely be going through a trial by fire here."

"True. Are we ready though?"

"We'll find out."

**Later… **

"Doom Patrol, please come down to the briefing room, we have much to discuss." Gar spoke over the intercom before disconnecting. Let me put this earpiece in first, though. "Question, can you hear me?"

"Yes, and, fortunately for you, no one else can. What can I do for you? Want some information on Stagg Industries?"

"Yeah, how'd you know about that?" "A) Bruce isn't as secure as he thinks he is in the Batcave, B) I used the hole in your system made by one particularly greedy tech expert, to hack in, and C) again, I'm the Question. Just because I don't have a face doesn't mean I'm dumb."

"Oh. Well, can you fix that for me?"

"Already have. Anyway, Stagg is a brand new, upstarted company, that, on the surface, a developer of prescription drugs, prosthetics, electronics, machinery, you name it, and they probably have their hand in it. Deeper down, though, they seem to be involved in some less than savory activities. Processing and distributing narcotics, mind control technology, attack robots, human experimentation, and, based on what archaic ledgers they have some kind of fearsome creature they've created and perfected. I'd be careful."

"Right. So, according to Bruce's files…"

**Later… **

"…We should be in the right place. 4410 Premiani Avenue, New York, New York. And this building does seem to match the one we saw in the files. Alright. Is everyone ready?"

"Ready to go, Gar." came from a shrunken Bumblebee.

"Locked and loaded, bitches!" was heard from a certain scarlet-shawled lunatic.

"All set." was all one Rita Farr could say. "Ready when you are!" Kyle Rayner affirmed.

"Good to go, green bean! Let's light these guys up." Cyborg replied.

"You tell 'em Black and Decker!" The Red Hood cut in.

"Ready to blow this joint." Mal Duncan cut in.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos. I'm ready."

Gar heard a rustling behind him, and felt a hand on his backside. He looked to his left, and there was the Ravager. "I'm ready Garfield. I'm right where I need to be."

"Umm, awesome. Doom Patrol, begin Operation Stagg!"

**A/N: Sorry for the short chapter :(. It was the most I could write. Anyway, it's the beginning of all the major stuff, and we'll see what happens in the Stagg building. Also, please review, tell me what I can do better with, if you have any questions, ideas for the story, suggestions, just, talk to me. Reviews really mean a lot to me. Next chapter: the start of Operation Stagg. Also, a flashback, and maybe some references. Be happy!**


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